Three's A Crowd
by Lucien-LaLAME
Summary: The tall blonde Courier, Ramona is on a journey to find the Platinum Chip along with the people who shot her in the head. Along the way she meets a pair of of siblings who seems to be just as lost as her. The trio finds difficulties and romance, along with a twist that leaves them in pieces. DISCONTINUED! Due to lack of reviews and such. May come back, looks unlikely.
1. The Greatest People You Will Ever Meet

The Courier blasted her way through the REPCONN Test Site, everything eerily quiet. From Novac, she saw trails and piles of dead ghouls and Nightkin, and inside was no exception. Many of the walls were painted with blood, the number of deceased ghouls slowly decreasing as she sank deeper into the facility.

She managed to find an intercom, but found herself at another dead end. There was nobody on the other side, adding up to vacancy that the Site held so far. She scratched the back of her platinum blonde hair with her varmint rifle, asking aloud, "Shouldn't this place be, I don't know, not so empty?"

She jumped at the sound of a loud, terrible wailing sound. It came from another end of e room, echoing through the basement. She took a few steps down the small set of stairs, the sound becoming more animalistic as she grew closer to the door. She finally clasped her hand around the doorknob, crouching down with her finger ready to pull the trigger.

Dead Nightkin laid dead just like the others: scattered with some pieces missing. She straightened her back, standing full and tall over one of the beasts. She nudged one of its limbs with her foot, expecting it to jump up and scream incoherently at any second until the loud moaning started back up once more.

She stuck her head out the door, tracing the sound to the far west end of the corridor. There was a sealed door below some steps, the sound becoming clear enough she could fully identify it to be someone... Crying?

She pushed the door open, rifle aiming at a trio consisting of a ghoul and two others. They all replied kindly to aiming their own weapons at her. They sat together on a higher platform, looking down upon her. She didn't try to lower her weapons, though she did lose much of her nerve. "What the Hell are you all doing here? Don't you know this is infested with Nightkin and Ghouls?"

"Yeah- Was infested, thank you very much," the girl retorted, "And what do you want?"

"I was here to fix a problem but it looked like you three fixed that for me."

"Oh," the girl and the other man who bore much resemblance to her lowered their guns, "Well this changes a lot of things."

The Ghoul let out a whimper, his sunken eyes were red and blotchy. He threw his gun down, sniffing, "Who am I kidding? I can't go on like this, just start over like nothing happened..." The Courier landed a bullet in the Ghoul's head, dropping back on the platform. "Glad to put you out of your misery, then," she smirked. Instead of the other two reacting to this in anger, they stared at their friend with a neutral expression.

"Think he's dead?" The girl asked, looking to her friend.

"Let's see," the man shoved the ghoul off of the platform, watching as he hit the metal floor, "Yeah, he's gotta be."

"Called it," she laughed, high-fiving her friend.

The Courier made a face at them, lowering her rifle. "Who are you guys?"

"The greatest people you will ever meet!" The girl threw a victorious hand it the air while clutching an opened whiskey bottle, "... Or maybe the worst. All about perspective, really."

The man rolled his eyes, "Please don't pay attention to her. That is my little sister, Sandra, and I'm David. We kind of drift through the Mojave and ended up helping out this little ghoul cult and- Ah, where are my manners, who are you?"

"Friends call me Ramona, but you probably know me as the Courier. You know, the one shot in the head?" The duo stared with blank expressions. It was Sandra who gasped with amazement, hitting her brother in the arm with anticipation.

"David, it's her!"

Ramona smirked, awaiting a starstruck gasp until she heard: "The one with the cute outfit!"

"We are not having this conversation again," David groaned, rubbing his temples. "Please, Sandra, I'm not sure who you're expecting me to think of if you refer to someone by a cute outfit."

"The one person who survived a bullet to the head and is only remembered by having an appealing outfit," Ramona sighed to herself, speaking up, "You two wouldn't happen to know where Boulder City is, would you? I tried heading there from Novac and needless to say I'm not very good with directions..."

"Yeah, why?" Sandra asked.

"I heard the people who ambushed me and tried to kill me are there and I wanted to ask them a few questions, if you catch my drift."

"Yeah, why?"

"Because they stole a package I was suppose to deliver and I want it back."

"Yeah, why?"

Ramona's eyes narrowed as her lips shifted into a flat, straight line. "It's obvious I'm going nowhere with you two. Thanks for-"

"She means we will help," David spoke up, "We've been drifting across looking for some way to make some money and we're not expecting you to pay us, of course, but we just want to find a place that can get us some cash."

Sandra hopped down from the platform, landing right next to a puddle of blood from the ghoul. She passed by Ramona, heading into a nearby room. Ramona looked to David, pointing back to the dark haired girl, "Uh, should we let her off on her own?"

"Hey David, remember when we killed that really big, weird Nightkin?" Sandra soon came back, dragging behind what looked like a flattened version of the bumper of a car, "I hope you don't mind, but I kind of want to keep his sword."

"What about your laser rifle?" He pointed to her holstered rifle.

"Oh, this old thing? You could hold it for me, silly goose. As for me, I pronounce this engraved blade my poking stick," she tried to hold it triumphantly with one hand, almost falling over.

Ramona caught her in time, pushing her back onto her feet. "Okay, guys, we have to focus," she snapped, "If we want to get anywhere, Boulder City is our first target."

"Oh, me and Dave know where that is! Follow me," Sandra took a few steps toward the door before stopping, "Er, Davey boy, you may need to lead. I sort of forgot where it is."

"I think we'd be better off with me leading, anyways," he chuckled, grabbing his pistol and leaping onto the ground. "Follow me, ladies."

Sandra was the first to follow after him, chuckling to herself, "Dork."

Ramona hesitated for a moment, asking herself once more if she should trust these two strangers. They looked back to her, as if expecting some kind of response. She finally came to a conclusion, sheathing herself as she grunted, "Yeah, yeah, I'm coming."


	2. Straight to the Tops

The newly formed trio traveled northeast to the ruins of Boulder City, where there was a fenced off area with NCR troopers gathering around. Ramona approached one of the troopers who sat in front of the radio, trying to make contact with someone, "Hey, what's going here?"

The Lieutenant took off his hat to scratch husbanding head, sighing, "We got ourselves a hostage situation with the Great Khans. Whole place is to be locked down until everything is removed. But then again, who knows how long that'll be?"

Ramona looked to her friends, "Great Khans, you say...," she returned her gaze to the NCR agent, "If you don't mind, sir, I'd like me and my friends to gain entry. You see, they stole something of mine."

He gave her a skeptical look, as if she had lost her mind. "Yeah? They've probably slept with my daughter and you don't see me going in there, maybe shooting everything up. We need my men out alive. Why should I let you in?"

Ramona smirked, passing by him, "Because I'm the God-damned mailman."

She gained entrance into the ruins, Sandra laughing and following after her. David stopped by the Lieutenant, slightly out of breath, "Sir, you can put your faith in us. We'll be able to negotiate with the Khans. You can count on us!"

He ran after his friends. The Lieutenant shook his head, sticking a cigarette between his teeth, "Damn kids these days."

Fire and smoke filled the air, obscuring the there's vision. Sandra coughed some, wheezing slightly. David squinted his eyes as they delved further into the ruins, asking, "Where d'you think they might be?"

"Probably in the last building still barely standing," Ramona answered, nodding her head to a corner of the dirty ruins. "Stay close and let me do the talking, alright?"

The siblings nodded, allowing her to enter into the hideout first.

"What the Hell? I thought we wasted you back in Goodsprings. You're supposed to be dead!" One of them shouted, Ramona recognizing him as presumed he was the leader.

"Looks like I got better," she raised her rifle, "Much better, in fact."

"Heh, and I thought we were tough to kill," he shook his head, seating himself behind the counter that separated them, "So, what happens now doll face?"

"I want my Chip," She demanded.

"Looks like you'll have to go searching just a wee bit longer. It turns out Benny stole it from us before stabbing us in the back and leaving us for dead."

"Looks like we have something in common," she smirked, "Did he shoot you in the head, too?"

Sandra felt her attention span begin to crack and wanting to zoom around, her eyes glaring at the empty Sarsaparilla bottles. She chewed her tongue, making shifty, uncomfortable eye contact with some of the other Great Khans before finally looking t her brother who seemed preoccupied staring at something else.

"Are you staring at her ass?" She whispered to him, trying her best to hide her snickers while her grin leaked through.

David automatically became flustered by this accusation, though he wasn't ready to admit her was. "N-No, of course not!" He attempted to keep his voice as a whisper, "I was just spacing out, and my eyes just happened to- Stop looking at me like that."

She looked ready to bust into a mess of giggles and snickers, her grin stretching from ear to ear. "You like the Courier, don't you?" Her face began to turn a bright red.

"Is this really a necessary time to discuss this? Really now-"

"So you _do _admit it!" Sandra almost broke out of her whisper, with a triumphant look on her face.

She quieted down immediately as Ramona's voice began to rise: "Alright, that's all I needed to know. Now that's over, let's see what we can do about settling things with the NCR, yeah?"

The Khan, Jessup, slammed his 10 mm onto the counter, "Have the NCR back off, we walk out free, nobody gets hurt. Whattya say?"

She holstered her rifle, "Free the hostages, and I'll make the NCR escort you out. Nobody gets hurt, we can all go home. How's that sound?"

"Mighty fine," Jessup grinned, almost chuckling.

Sandra felt the irresistible urge to break out into laughter, nudging her brother in the arm, "H-Hey- Hey Dave, what's big, soft, and something you like to touch?"

"Hm?"

She snorted, "Ramona's butt."

The two broke out into laughter; David only joining in due to the over reaction Sandra created from her "joke". Tears began streaming from her eyes, having to lean on her brother for support.

"_SHUT UP_!" Ramona barked at the two, the siblings quieting down almost instantly despite tears and wheezing still coming from Sandra. Ramona looked back to the men, "I'm sorry, please ignore them. What were you going to say?"

Jessup intently watched the siblings, a small smile peaking his own face, "You know what? Fine. Have them keep their end of the deal and everything's peachy. Oh and here's a souvenir for you," he tossed her a light object, Ramona catching it with one hand, "Benny's lighter. Shove it up his ass for us, will you?"

She nodded, smiling, "I guess I'll catch you boys on the flip side, then."

They cut the bondages that bound the hostages, instantly making a dash out the door. The three walked out, the first thing Ramona did was slug both of the other two in the arms, "Idiots! All you two had to do was stay quiet, and you can't even do that!"

Sandra stood straight and tall as if nothing happened, "I have this strange feeling like you're mad at us for something... Is it because David thinks your butt is as big and soft as a cloud?"

Ramona made a face of disgust, "Excuse me?"

"Don't mind her, she likes making things up to embarrass me," Davd scratched the back of his head, doing his best to act like his arm wasn't sore. He wondered where she learned to hit so hard. "What is important, however, is making sure the NCR holds up their end of the deal."

"Yeah," she smiled at him, "You're right."

She turned to leave the ruins, David letting out a sigh of relief that she didn't catch on to him. He followed her anyhow, trying his best not to glance any lower than her mid torso. Something about her hip sway just caught his attention.

Outside the makeshift borders of the ruins, the lieutenant from earlier stood in front of the hostages and a couple other troopers. "That's just great," he grumbled, letting out a small cough, "Looks like we have ourselves a new problem. I have orders to kill the Khans despite the negotiation. My hands are tied, what can I do?"

"Excuse me?" Ramona took a stood forward, puffing out her chest. Sandra and David immediately placed a hand on their weapons in fear another conflict would break out. "They held up their end of the deal, now it's time for you to do your part. If you have integrity, you'll honor the deal like a true man and soldier."

The Lieutenant sighed, "I... Suppose you're right goldilocks." He turned to his squad, waving a dismissive hand, "Stand down, men. The Khans are free to go." He turned back to Ramona, holding his hand out. "Glad to see someone useful around who's ready to not waste lives."

She smirked, shaking his hand. "What can I say? That was my good deed for the day."

She saw something passed the lieutenant and other NCR soldiers. Her face slowly fell into a more serious expression, slowly losing grip as her hand retreated back to her side. She began to take slow, heavy steps as if her legs were made of lead. David and Sandra began to quietly follow, trying to pinpoint what exactly caught their blonde friend's attention.

She headed northwest, stopping at the side of a small building on the outskirts of Boulder City. Now, they could see what had caught her interest, staring in amazement with her: Beyond the little town, was a glowing light in the dark, starry sky. That light was a tall building in the shape of a roulette wheel. Below, other dazzling lights helped illuminate the dark night, but none was as attention-grabbing as the tall center tower.

"What is that?" David asked, his mouth hanging down.

Ramona pursed her lips, the ends curling into a small smile. "That," she couldn't help but grow excited at the topic, "That is where we are headed."

They lingered for another moment to soak in the sight, Sandra was the first to finally show some energy. "Well?" She looked to them, a few steps ahead, "Let's go!"

She took another step, almost scared out of her skin as she heard another voice jump from nowhere: "Fancy meeting you here, friend."

A Securitron robot wheeled out from around the corner, giving the trio a wave. Sandra immediately scuttled back to her brother's side, hiding behind his shoulder.

"David," she whispered very loudly, "You speak robot, don't you? Tell it to go away!"

"Guys," Ramona shot them a disproving gaze, "That's rude. This guy here saved my life!" She looked to the robot, "Good seeing you again, Victor."

"Looks like you got yerself a couple o' friends! The more the merrier, I say! Too bad they don't seem to take a liking to me." Victor slowly rolled closer to the pair of siblings, "Now, I don't bite. You can trust me."

"Sorry," David begrudgingly nodded, "Where we're from most robots prefer to attack than make friendly conversation." Sandra quickly nodded in agreement.

"Aww, y'all see that not all robots are the same. But on a different topic, it looks like you three are on your way to New Vegas."

Ramona shot her friends one last threatening look before shutting them out of the conversation. "Yes, actually. You wouldn't happen to be going in a similar direction, would you? We could use a ride."

"Eh, I suppose so. Was never made for transportation but you'll never know unless you try, right?" Victor chuckled.

Ramona signaled her friends to climb on him; David and Sandra climbed on his back, clutching onto his side for support. Ramona, on the other hand, had to be carried in Victor's robotic arms due to limited space. The four of them rode off, thanking Victor repeatedly for the kind gesture.


	3. The Average Day Job

The trio were dropped off outside the eastern gate of Freeside, taking in their first few steps of the trashy city. They were all unimpressed, to say the least despite not very sure what exactly they were expecting in the first place. Ramona quietly figured the tall building gave them some standard to look forward to.

Victor hightailed it out of the way, mentioning that they'll be meeting again very shortly. This had given both David and Sandra the creeps. They strode through the eastern part, a few thugs attempted to assault them, to which they met Sandra's bumpersword and took off in the other direction. They met through a pair of doors; the other side, straight down the street, the words _Welcome to the Strip_ lit up the morning sky.

They cautiously approached the entrance, the Securitrons that monitored the site stared hollowly at them. A feeling of dread and anxiousness overcame them, a local bumping into and passing them as they screamed nonsense. The robots caught him, shooting him down before he did so much as touch the large gates.

"No pressure," Sandra attempted to assure her bright blonde friend, though her tone sounded unintentionally sarcastic. Ramona ignored this, taking a slow few steps to the gatekeeper.

"Submit to a credit check of two thousand caps or show passport to gain access through the Strip. Trespassers will be shot on sight," the Securitron demanded, rolling up a bit too close for comfort for her.

"I- A what?"

"Submit to a credit check or show passport to gain access through the Strip. Trespassers will be shot on sight," it repeated.

"I, well, I don't have a passport."

The two other Securitrons that stood on two parallel platforms instantly turned toward them, all three robots had their machine guns at the ready, pointing at them. "Please return when you have sufficient funds or a passport." The gatekeeper turned away, rolling to the direct front of the gates.

"But I'm the Courier..." She slumped her shoulders in disbelief. "That's a load of shit!" She barked, kicking away a bent tin can in frustration and crouching down to calm herself.

David crouched beside her, attempting to comfort her by placing a hand on her shoulder. "It's okay, you got us. We can all pitch in to round up two thousand caps."

"No," she sighed, "This is something I got myself into. You two are free to leave, I never really had any intention of sticking to a group. I said I'd help us get here and, well, we're here. Now I'm just... Stuck."

Sandra slapped her on the back, "Oh, stop yanking our chains! Of course we're going to stay in help!"

"This is where the 'worst people I'll ever meet' comes into play," Ramona whispered to herself.

"It's all for one and one for all, right? We'll help you get into the Strip, even if that means we'll never see each other again. I know that's kind of sad I guess, but we'll be known as the people who helped the Courier!" She stretched out a hand to help up her friend, "Whaddya say, pal?"

"I suppose," she grabbed Sandra's hand, "Hopefully it won't take too long to get even half. Thanks, I suppose."

Sandra pulled Ramona into a tight, air-restricted hug. Ramona was surprised by her grip, as she looked like the type that could barely lift the bumpersword she took. She managed to wriggle her way out of Sandra's superhuman grasp, panting to regain her breath, "So, any ideas on how to make a shitload of caps?"

"Well, we can meet back here around this time tonight and see what we can scrape up?" David suggested, giving a careless shrug of the shoulders.

"Then I guess we'll stick with that. I already got a little over a hundred, so we're off to a start." The three broke off, Sandra and Ramona heading back into the western part of Freeside before splitting ways as well.

She found herself staring at the large sign labelled "S_ilver Rush_", clumsily strutting into the strange building to see if there was any work to be done. The man outside confiscated her weapons, though she didn't seem to mind so much. Inside, she was instructed to wait around the entrance until a meeting was adjourned, she watched as one man was disintegrated and the other ran out for dear life.

There was a woman there who seemed to be the boss, as she was part of the conversation during the meeting and was the only one not wearing any armor. Ramona figured this was the person to talk to, tapping her on the shoulder, "Uh, hi. You wouldn't happen to have any work available? I need the caps to get into the Strip."

The woman turned around, her eyes inspecting every inch of the young woman. she laid her hands on her waist, arching a brow, "Wouldn't we all like to get in. Still it happens we have a position opened up for you. Just Stan outside and guard the entrance, nothing too complicated. Think you can handle that?"

_Easy and cheap, not a bad start_, she thought. "Count me in," Ramona smiled.

"Great. The guy out front, Simon, he'll show you the ropes and the procedures. Listen to what he says, okay? He knows what he's doing. Tell him Gloria sent you." The woman turned back to the weapons and ammunition that laid orderly across a few tables that were placed side by side. She waved a hand.

Ramona almost skipped outside, a big grin stretched across face as she wondered how much this would pay. Obviously it wouldn't cover the whole two thousand caps, but it was better than nothing.

The guard that stood outside the building gave a yawn by the time she finally got out there, looking to her, "Welcome to the Silv- Wait, don't tell me, you're my new assistant aren't you? Shit."

She tilted her head, wondering what was so bad about this job. "Yeah, how'd you know?"

He scoffed, almost looking disgustedly at her. "You can tell a rookie when you see one. You practically radiate with eagerness when trust me, it's not that exciting. Here, let me get you geared up, just wait on the other side of the door there." She took a few steps away, Simon crouching to the crate next to him. He handed her some metallic armor, which she slipped on right over her usual adventurer clothes. "Now that you got your armor, let's head on to weapons, eh? All guards are required to use energy rifles, nothing any bigger or any less. So what would you like: Laser or plasma?"

"Plasma, I guess."

"Nothing wrong with plasma. Now that you're suited up, here's how to simple break this all down: We're here to keep away the riff raff, including junkies, vermin, and capless punks. For the customers now, they may be permitted in, but not until they're searched for their weapons. Also, don't abandon your post for whatever reason nor try to start any fights alright? We're here to promote violence, not start it here."

Ramona nodded, though all these new rules sounded tricky to go by. Nonetheless, she was sure there would be hardly any way for her to screw this up. In a few hours she managed to go through a few people without any verbal backlash coming from Simon. The day rolled by slowly, yet she was cruelly reminded by her co-worker that it would still be a while until their shift was over.

It was the fourth customer, however, did things change. A man came up, looking average and sober. He claimed he had a broken revolver and was looking to see it fixed, even when Ramona persisted that it was policy to pat him down. She decided to go easy on this guy, letting him pass through.

Simon shot her a glare, "Did you not hear my instructions clearly enough? Or do I need to shove a manuscript up your-"

The two were blown away, thrown like helpless ragdolls onto the other side of the street. Neither of them saw it coming, though Simon was the first to react.

"Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit..." Ramona heard Simon mutter in a low, scared tone as well as hear him sprinting into the building.

She slowly crawled onto her knees, shaking her head. Her vision was blurry and her walk was unsteady, but she managed to follow after her co-worker into the building. Inside, smoke and fire filled the air. Everyone laid dead, except for Simon who was screaming in anger. Ramona slowly approached him, her plasma rifle was held at the ready for precaution, "Heh, Simon, buddy, friend... We're still cool, right?"

He turned to her, his face was a dark red from anger. "Everyone's... Dead," he let out a humorless chuckle, shaking his head, "Great job, kid you just cost me my job. Don't think I'm not gonna repay you for the deed."

He reached for his laser rifle, but Ramona was quicker to the trigger and launched a plasma ball at his head. She shot him an extra few times in case he was faking it, dropping the energy rifle to the floor as her hands shook.

"There goes my work," she sighed, looking around at the bodies. She wondered if they had any extra cash on them, a terrible idea coming to mind.

A few hours later, she sat on the curb outside the guard station that lead to the Strip, leaning on her hands which were propped onto her knees. She sighed to herself, her hands still shook slightly from the quick and strange ordeal that occurred. From the corner of her eye, she saw a slim figure approach and seat themselves next to her.

"Make anything?" She heard them ask her, her eyes widening in shock as she realized this person was David. He had his brownish-red hair greased back, with a new greaser-looking attire. She noticed on the back of his new leather jacket the patch of a crown and "_Kings_" was stitched into it.

She stared in shock at him, her jaw slightly hung open. "Why do you look like a gangster?"

He pointed at a large building with men that bore a similar hairstyle and clothing. "I, uh... I thought that would be a good place to start. The guys in there seem friendly enough and that's all I ask. What about you?"

"Well, to start off, my nerves are shot. My hands been shaking all day and they won't quit. I found this place called Silver Rush and let's just say they won't be heard from again," she let out a nervous chuckle.

David put a comforting arm around her, pulling her close, "I'm so sorry. I mean I thought I heard an explosion but I figured it was an everyday thing here."

"I had to pick cash off dead bodies. Dead bodies! Do you know how wrong it feels to pick caps out of the pockets of someone whose head was smashed open?"

"I know, I know. It was a bad habit of my sister's, so I know where you're coming from. But look on the brightside, I made some cash to go along with our goal! We now have about one hundred and seventy eight. Did you make anything?"

"About ninety eight caps. Which, altogether, gives us about..."

"Two hundred and seventy six."

She sighed, laying back against the old, cracked cement, "We'll never get there. Not like this."

Sandra came into view, waving her hand excitedly in the air as she sat beside them. She saw her brother's new wardrobe and hair style, making a face, "Oh God, what happened to you?"

He scratched the back of his greasy hair, "It's, ah, a long story. I'll explain later. Did you make any caps?"

Her face remained neutral, "Oh. Is... Is that what I was suppose to be doing?"

Ramona made a loud, angry sound as she turned away from Sandra. "Do you think we can get anything worthwhile if we sell her? Because I am close to breaking her-"

"I thought I had to get this?" She held up a small little book.

"What's that?" David asked.

"Oh, it's a passport. It was suppose to be a little over two hundred caps but the really cute guy in one of the stores let me have one at half price," she flipped her dark hair, smirking, "It pays to be beautiful."

Ramona pulled Sandra into a tight hug, shaking her around, "I take back what I said, you're a genius!" She snatched the passport away, pulling Sandra behind her, who latched her free hand onto her brother, and carried the, both behind her as she was granted access into the Strip.


	4. Just You and Me Tonight

The three entered the Strip, stopping right outside the gate to marvel at the populated, lively surroundings. David found it rather hard to look away from the skimpily dressed prostitutes, while Ramona's eyes stared hard at the top of the Lucky 38.

"Any ideas where we should start looking?" She asked, tearing her gaze away to look at her friends.

"Why not there?" Sandra pointed to a sign the read _The Tops_, "It'd make sense, yeah? Like he's going straight to the top! Geddit?"

Ramona laid a hand on her friend's shoulder, giving it a good squeeze. "Let's hope your genius streak continues," she began to walk to their new destination, "What's the worst that could go wrong?"

Inside, the frontman confiscated all their weapons (to Sandra's disliking) and wished them a happy evening in the tops. Ramona handed over the last of her weapons, leaning over the desk to whisper to the chairman, "Hey, I think there's something you may want to know about a certain person staying up here. Got a real weird way of talking, checkered suit?"

The deskmen rolled his eyes, shuffling through some paper, "Benny? Look, if you got something to say about the boss man, don't you think you should tell it to his face?"

"Give me a moment," she whispered to her friends, giving them a free moment to roam the casino. She turned her back to him, leaning her back against the desk. She shrugged, "I just don't think anyone's going to like it. Seems he's been making his own games."

"Wait- Excuse me?"

She tried to hide a smirk. "You see your 'boss man', Benny, tried to have me killed and stole a package I was meant to deliver."

She could almost feel the horror wash over the man, "Why- Why would he pull a stunt like that? It doesn't make sense..."

"Oh, that's just the gist, you see. He tried to make it look like an accident and everything! Trynna make it look like a poor, random traveller killed and robbed in the Wastes."

"Crazy bastard... Anything else to share?"

"Hm... Nope, that's it." She turned her head back to the man, flashing him an innocent look. "What do you think I should do?"

"Let me tell you what," he slid towards her a small key, "I hand you this, you go on up to his suite while he's out partying, and we pretend we never had this conversation. Ya dig?"

She snatched the key up, turning to walk away, "Right as rain, pal."

She turned to her friends, meeting up with them at the center of the casino. She didn't have the slightest interest in gambling and such, knowing too well of what effects being addicted has. David shared this disinterest with her, though the layout of the building did have some appeal to him.

Sandra gave her a sharp nudge in the side, pointing to a guy in the far corner in the back. It seemed he had yet to spot them, "Maybe he knows where the guy is?"

Ramona narrowed her eyes, before widening in surprise. "Actually, I think that is him," she took a single step, nodding in confirmation, "Yep, that's him. I know a checkered suit when I see one." Her face contorted to one of anger, beginning to storm off until Sandra catching her by the arm, "Wait, wait, wait- You can't just cause a scene all willy-nilly! Ramona, friend, buddy, amigo- Let moi handle this."

"What are you planning?" She inquired, narrowing her eyes some.

"Watch and learn," she waved a finger, handing toward the man, "Just try and look inconspicuous, alright?"

Ramona rolled her eyes, looking to David, "Please tell me you have an idea on what she's about to do..."

He sighed, "We'll just have to wait and see."

Sandra strolled up to the man, turning him around, "Heard what you did to the Courier. Practically every girl on the Strip's been wanting a piece of you, daddy."

Benny made a face, "Are you making a pass at me? Because it looks like I'm out of your league."

She slipped a hand through one of his belt loops, pulling him closer, "Is it wrong to want a man who knows his way around a gun?"

He smirked, "You're one of the naughty little pussycats, aren't ya?"

"I've been looking for _someone_ to give me a proper punishment... What can I say? I'm just awful."

"I should really be going..." He began to take a few steps past her, but she managed to catch his arm.

"No! I've just always wondered..." She leaned in closer, her warm breath against his ear, "How good your clothes would look on the ground. Whattya say?"

"What do I say? I say I'd be out of my mind to pass up on you, pussycat. I'll meet you in my suite. Thirteenth floor. Five minutes. Don't keep me waiting."

"As long as you don't keep me," she winked, heading back to her friends. She sat down at one of the slots, smirking, "Looks like Benny's got a date with our old, dear pal Destiny tonight."

"So... You're going to sleep with him? That's, ah, not gross at all..." Ramona shook her head, making a face. "

Says you," Sandra leaned forward, sticking out her tongue.

"Guys, guys," David weaved himself between the two girls, laying a hand on each girl, "We need to focus on what's important: Getting the chip back and seeing Benny dead. Sandra, I guess you'll be the one to out Benny. Ramona... I guess it'll be you and me tonight."

"That's just fine with me," Sandra hopped off the stool, sticking her nose I'm the air, "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to do some dirty work."

Ramona's face turned a bright pink as she walked away, picking up an empty whiskey bottle that previously sat idle next to a slot. David caught her before she had the cance to throw it at Sandra's head, snatching it away, "No, no, no- Make peace!"

She huffed, her face now matching the dark pink striped shirt that she wore under her vest, "Fine, fine. One day, I swear to God I will rip that little..."

David slammed his palms on her shoulders once more, "Calm. You won't see her for the rest of the night hopefully."

She felt the beginning of a terrible pain shoot her temples, rubbing it to ease the pain. She sighed, "Gah, I need to drink away this headache..."

He smirked at this, "Just so you can make it worse tomorrow?" They laughed, David leading the way to the courtyard, since they hadn't managed to find a bar in the casino.

They had spent all of the afternoon and a good part of the early evening dipping their feet in the pool, David getting a good chance to show Ramona small games and different positions you can use with your hands. He gave her the spare time alone to vent her frustration of Sandra, which he could understand.

"I know she's your sister and all," she sighed, sitting back against the hard cement below them, "But just some things she does and says, just- Ugh, it's like she doesn't have a brain."

"I know, but you can't entirely blame her," David gave a shrug, "I know it's hard to get an actual education in the Wastes, but where we're from they at least give you some knowledge of basic things like reading, writing, and such. Sandra, well, she never had that chance."

Ramona's face fell, "Oh?"

He nodded, twisting his mouth to the side. "Our father was a doctor and scientist, which made things kind of easy in one aspect. She was born premature and sickly- She was close to death on a few occasions. But, our girl's tough."

Ramona turned her entire body towards him, tilting her head in a quizzical fashion. "Where _are_ you guys from anyhow?"

"We grew up in a Vault, actually. That place was my home, emotionally and literally. Sandra... Well, she was happy to leave. The Wasteland, this twisted land, this is almost like a haven to her; maybe not the people, but in other aspects it helped her. Now, the only problem she has is with her joints. They tend to lock up or hurts to move, but a good dose of Med-X seems to patch that up.

Now, we left when I was about eighteen. I didn't exactly want to leave, but I knew I couldn't leave my little sister in the Wastes. I didn't know what was out there! Lucky for both of us, I took after our father's genius and was gifted in the fields of medicine and science. Basically, Sandra grew to be the brawn of our duo and I am the brains. Every group has those two dynamics, am I right?" He chuckled to himself.

She nodded, smiling in return. "Sounds like you two have been through a lot. But tell me, what about you? What was so special about little David?"

"I was always a bit of the class clown, actually. I always managed to, oh..." He felt his stomach tighten as her hand brushed through his hair. His eyes instantly fell to the glossy water of the pool, specifically staring at her reflection.

"Sorry," she snatched her hand away, "Your hair's just bugging me is all. I'll never know why you'd let someone grease your hair like that. I preferred your hair the way it was, personally."

He shook his head, smiling, "It's alright, I didn't mind it at all." He gazed into her bright blue eyes, occasionally glancing to her rosy pink lips. She must've caught onto his pattern, looking away to the other side of the courtyard.

"So," he cleared his throat, scooting closer, "You never told me where you're from."

She turned back to him, arching a brow, "Are you sure that's a story you want to here?"

"Of course," he eagerly nodded, though in truth he just wanted to look at her some more.

"Well, let's see..." She pondered some, keeping a nonchalant tone the whole time, "My mother was a drunk, father ran off... Started prostituting myself at fifteen because I wanted to get the Hell away from her... Got hooked on Jet for a while... Did that for about a decade until this magical man just walked into my life and gave me the opportunity to be whisked away from all that. I wouldn't be here without him and let me tell you, this is a lot better than get fucked every other night by strangers."

She let out a humorless chuckle, smiling sadly at David, "How do you feel?"

"I still think you're beautiful," he shrugged, struggling to keep such a casual tone as she did. In truth, he felt his ears burn and was thankful that his brunette hair was long enough to cover them.

Ramona only giggled at this, placing a hand on his cheek, "I know I said some rude things earlier about your sister, but she is lucky to have a sweet brother like you. You're a good friend, David."

She got up, shaking off her feet to dry them. David felt his face instinctively fell, but didn't want her to see. He simply forced his feet back into the slightly smaller shoes, pushing himself up.

"Let's go find somewhere we can room in for the night, yeah?" She suggested, wondering what time it was.

"And miss out on the chance to gamble your earnings? Are you crazy?" He joked, tossing an arm around her.

They walked into the Tops, managing to persuade a different guy at the reception desk into giving them a room to share. David slept on the couch and let Ramona have the only bed to herself in the suite, more out of courtesy than force. It was the least he could do for her.


	5. The Uncultivated Fox

"David ? David- Wake up!" He heard a light whisper, followed by a distressed grunt. "David Michael, you wake up right _now_!"

He felt a sharp slap on his head, causing him to bolt straight up from the couch. He took a deep breath, trying to steady himself from the rude awakening. Sandra sat on the edge of the long sofa, her dark hair in a wild, messy bun. Even her clothes looked a mess, as if she rushed to put them on.

"Sandy? What're you-"

She clamped a hand over his mouth, shushing him. "First off, where's Ramona?"

He furrowed his brow, pointing over his shoulder to another room with a firmly shut door. Sandra quietly lifted herself off the couch, quietly tip-toeing over and cracking the door open wide enough to poke her head in. She shut the door once more, giving her brother a thumbs up.

"Okay, she's asleep," she seated herself on the edge of the sofa once more, "That's good. Now David, if you love me, I need you to keep a secret, okay? But you can't be mad and never- _never_ tell Ramona, alright?"

He narrowed his eyes, sitting back, "What did you do?"

She sighed, "I went to sleep with him, right- It went on and on, I swear he took a toll on me. Like, I'm still sore down there-"

"Please get to the point. I rather not hear about your sex adventures."

Sandra rolled her eyes, "Fine, fine. So that happened and I decided to call it a night, thinking by the time I woke up he'd still be passed out cold and I could just off him, y'know... Well, there was a minor change in plans..."

She noticed how her brother's expression contorted, inching away. She brought up her Pip Boy, tapping on a few things before projecting a long note for them to read. "I woke up to this," she explained, bowing her head in embarrassment, "I, uh... Can't read it."

David didn't say anything, squinting his eyes to help read it, muttering as read along: "Wish I could stay... Blah, blah... Won't be around for much longer... You and me are a date... Wouldn't miss is for all the caps in New Vegas... Oh shit."

"He's gone? Does it say where to?" She asked, squeezing her brother's knee.

"No," he pinched the bridge of his nose, taking in a deep breath, "You said you had everything under control."

"I did, but things change and, and..." she rubbed her arms, sniffing, "How are we going to break this to her?"

"Break what to who?" They heard Ramona's voice ask as she came out of the room, straightening out the last of her platinum blonde hair.

The siblings exchanged momentary glances; Sandra looked ready to spew with guilt until an idea popped into her head. "He ambushed me," she lied, jumping to her feet,"I'm fine now, but he knew it was all an act! He had me tied up all night and I managed to finally escape a little while ago, I'm so sorry! He's out there somewhere, but I did manage to find someone very useful in helping..."

Sandra lead the two to the thirteenth floor of the Tops, opening the doors to Benny's suite. The other two seemed confused by this, exchanging shifty looks between each other. David often contemplated about blurting about the truth to Ramona.

"Is there a reason why you brought us here?" She asked Sandra, shifting through some of his belongings in the room.

"Duh," she scoffed, opening up a different door nearest to the bed, "Just in here everyone."

Ramona poked her head in, "What am I suppose- Oh sweet Christ." Her mouth hung agape at what looked like a regular Securitron, only instead the screen showed a happy, over excited face. "Who or what is that?"

Sandra leaned a hand against it, "This is Yes Man. Say hi to my friends, Yes Man!"

The robot came to life, waving to the others, "Hi there, so glad to meet you! How can I help?"

"Uh, yeah," she crossed her arms,taking a few steps into the bare room. It was all too clear Ramona wasn't very sure to rely on the robot. "You wouldn't happen to know where I guy named Benny is, would you?"

"Yeah! He came in just a while earlier in a big rush and didn't even bother to stop to say hello! I believe he took his secret elevator just back there!"

David let out an amused chuckle, leaning against the doorway, "You're very straight forward, aren't you pal?"

"Well, I was reprogrammed to answer any question I was asked. I guess nobody thought of restricting who I answered to. That must sound pretty dumb, huh?" This managed to get a few snickers out of the three, all of them nodding in agreement.

Sandra shied away some from Ramona, taking a step behind Yes Man. Ramona wondered why she looked so guilty, as if she had killed someone's puppy. "He told me how Benny was trying to take over New Vegas and everything," she explained, "How he wanted to use the Platinum Chip and take down Mr. House and everything. Sounds pretty badass if you ask me."

Ramona actually seemed impressed by the idea, not that it eased up on her grudge against him of course. "Really? I don't really know much about Mr. House, but do you think there's a chance I could take over instead of Benny?"

"Well you'd have me to help, even if I don't want to! Benny may not want me to either, but hey, not my fault I can't say no! So you have some chance!"

"Hmm... I'll have to think on it. I'll keep you in mind, though. For now, we have to kick some checkered-suited ass and take the Chip back. We'll see what happens from there."

"Don't stay away too long!" He waved once more.

They headed down to the casino, using the other elevator instead Benny's personal one. David tried mapping out likely places Benny could be hiding on his Pip Boy, while Sandra explained to Ramona some more about Yes Man in hopes of making New Vegas independent. On the way out of the Tops Sandra halted in place, her eyes wide and in awe.

"Vulpes," she said in a single whisper. Something happened to her once she whispered this taboo word; it was as if another complete side of her broke out. She walked past them, as if she had forgotten what she was doing and had only one goal now.

It took David a moment to realize why she was acting so weird; leaning against one of the large beams of the Tops was a suavely dressed Vulpes Inculta who locked gazes with Sandra. They stood there in front of each other, Sandra looked clearly more excited as he seemed more relaxed.

"Is she okay? Is he a friend of yours?" He heard Ramona whisper to him, to which he gave a shrug. "It's complicated, really. Just let her have the moment." Ramona couldn't take her eyes off the two. The way they moved corresponded to the other's moment, the way they looked at each other made it seem as if nothing else mattered in the world.

Vulpes took her hand, bowing his head to give it a light kiss. She seemed breathless at his touch. "How did- Why-" She tried to formulate words, her face slowly breaking into a wide grin. "It's really glad to see you again, Vulpes," she simply said, a longing sigh coming afterwards.

"I wish I could say I'm on another hunt for you two, but I'm here for a friend I hear you've been tagging along with," he smirked, his eyes finally breaking away from her face to give a quick glance to Ramona.

Sandra's face fell slightly at the news, her gaze lowering to his feet. "Yes, well we're very busy so you'll just have to-"

"I suggest you rethink your next few words," his soft words became suddenly cold and barren. He straightened his tie and cleared his voice. "Now, now my dear," his voice returned to its former tone, "I don't want you thinking things. You know I have eyes only for you."

He raised a hand, gently caressing her cheek. She felt herself unravel at his touch, leaning her head into his hand. She batted her eyelashes, "I hope so. I'm sure the camps can get lonely."

He smiled at this, retracting his hand to file through his pocket and tossed her an old golden coin with a string around it. She caught it, clasping it in both of her hands.

"The eyes of the mighty Caesar are upon you, my lady. He admires your accomplishments, and bestows upon you the exceptional gift of his Mark. Any crimes you may have perpetrated against the Legion are hereby forgiven. Caesar will not extend this mercy a second time. My Lord requires your presence at his camp, at Fortification Hill. His Mark will guarantee your safe-conduct through our lands," he explained, beginning to take a leave. Before he was completely out of ear shot, he turned back to them, "Also if it that isn't enough to persuade, that man you are searching for has fled the Strip and has been caught by the Legion. I'm sure you would all be delighted with that information."

"Vulpes," Sandra called to him, taking a few steps further, "Will I see you there, if we go?" Her grasp around the coin tightened, cherishing her last few seconds looking at him.

He only smiled at this, "For you, I wouldn't miss it for the world."

Sandra felt as if her life force was sucked dry from her as he left the Strip, looking down to the coin that held the mark of the bull. She managed to fit her head through the string, looking to her friends, "Looks like we found Benny."

"Ah, yes. Now feel free to cue me in on who that was?" Ramona asked, catching up to her friend. She noticed the Mark, recognizing the symbol belonging to Caesar's Legion. "From the looks of it, he's no Prince Charming."

"Very, very far," David sighed. "What'd Vulpes want?"

"Well, we're invited to an audience with Caesar," she began to explain, her friend's expression to one of disbelief, "But, we kind of have to! They have Benny and the Chip some can't just reschedule it for a rainy day or something- We have to."

Ramona groaned, "I was really hoping on staying out of that, too... Fine, but you're leading and also if this is a trap I'm personally dragging you to Hell with me."

Sandra tried to contain a wide grin, David whispering in her ear, "You have to tell her the truth sooner or later."

"I know that," she retorted, "Just let me see Vulpes one more time, alright? I haven't seen him since that escapade and we were trapped on two different sides of that cave, remember?"

"How could I forget," David rolled his eyes, "Did he even say where to meet him?"

"Well he seemed something about Fortification Hill, so our best bet is to go south to Cottonwood Cove. Sounds easy enough, doesn't it?"

Sandra began their journey out of the Strip, sharing stories with Ramona about their encounters with the Legion and the reasons behind their disliking of the NCR. She didn't seem to pay too much attention, smiling and laughing at David who would mock his sister to make things that less dreadfully boring to his beautiful blonde friend.


	6. The House Always Gets His Way

The entire trip to Cottonwood Cove took a total of three whole days. It was halfway there Ramona realized about the siblings' notoriety of detours. They probably would have been there in half the time they took if they hadn't taken so many pit stops for food and sleep or didn't get so distracted by Viper gunslingers and other nasty beings in the Wastes.

On the broken, rocky road to Cottonwood Cove they found many people nailed to a wooden cross- A common trademark for Caesar's Legion. Some were dead, quite a few were in the process of dying, and one was still quite alive. He begged them to help him as they passed, David and Ramona felt sympathetic toward the man but didn't make eye contact with him, where as Sandra smirked at this.

"How could they do this to innocent people?" Ramona asked, cringing at the sight of the others.

"Innocent people?" Sandra scoffed, "The Legion- Or, at least, my Vulpes wouldn't do it to any normal, innocent people. Have you seen Nipton? It was inhabited by Powder Gangers and terrible people! They may have crude ways of handling things, but they're just cleansing this world one person at a time."

Ramona's eyes widened at this, looking to her brother, "Aren't you going to do something? She sounds insane!"

"Well..." David slowly shrugged, "She has a point, whether I like them or not. Some of them aren't innocent where others aren't exactly terrible, either. I know, it sounds crazy, but its not like the NCR are any better."

Ramona grunted, folding her arms, "I can't believe you two..."

A Legion Explorer had halted them right outside the small campsite, ready to attack them until he noticed the Mark that hung around Sandra's neck. He allowed them access, stating that Cursor Lucullus had been waiting for them.

Sandra skipped ahead, enjoying the new ability to explore Legion territory without being persecuted on the spot. Ramona was still not excited about this new information on their reputation with the Legion nor happy she had an audience with Caesar himself.

"Hey," David tried to talk to her, placing a hand gently on her arm, "We're not with them- Well, Sandra wouldn't mind but she doesn't really have the option to join. And me? I dislike both sides of the war. You can trust us."

"We'll see if I'm not being crucified by the time we leave!" She retorted, shrugging him off.

Some of the looks she was receiving from the prime legionaries gave her an uncomfortable feeling in her stomach, as David's company did give her some comfort. She believed he was trustworthy and reliable.

One of the mongrels let out a loud bark, making her jump and cling to David's arm out of instinct. He held her hand until she caught her breath, trying his best to ignore the feeling of his ears burning. Ramona chuckled at this out of embarrassment, still keeping one arm tightly locked around his own.

"If you guys are done flirting," they heard Sandra call from the shaky docks, "I believe we have somewhere to be!"

Ramona felt her cheeks burn, letting out a sigh. She tore herself away from David, leading on to a man who stood beside a constructed raft.

"Lucullus," Sandra addressed the man, looking around him, "Is Inculta traveling with us or will it be just you?"

"Ave. He is already at the Fort. We've been wondering if you were really going to show," he arched a brow, folding his arms, "Are you ready to head up the river?"

Sandra looked to Ramona, "Well?"

"Yeah, I suppose we 're as ready as we'll ever be."

David helped the girls onto the raft before seating himself on it. Lucullus untied the rope that held it to the docks, taking a long paddle and beginning the journey. In just a few short hours, the gates to the Fort had opened up to them.

Before they could continue their journey, though, they were stopped by a guard, "Halt, before you continue on you must temporarily hand over any banned items you may have."

The girls begrudgingly began to hand over their weapons into a large sack, but David remained still. "And what would be considered banned? Other than guns, of course," he felt his grip on his bag tighten.

"Chemicals and any other addictive substances are forbidden. That goes for stimpaks as well."

"We need them along," he explained, his head nodding toward his sister, "Has congenital defects. Joints could lock up and swell at any moment."

"David," Sandra tugged on his arm, feeling an incredibly amount of embarrassment, "Shut up, I've been fine for a while now. I can survive for just a while longer."

"I'm not taking risks," David growled, a sharp edge in his words.

The guard looked between them, an expression of disgust on his face, "I know not why Caesar would want to see such an inferior whelp, but I will allow this once."

Sandra dropped her bumpersword next to the foot locker and sacks, punching him in the arm. "Why did you have to bring that up? Now everyone's going to think I'm this sickly girl," she groaned, walking along the dirt path.

"No offense, but you are kind of sickly. Just not as much. In fact, you've improved a lot," he walked beside her, glancing to Ramona who had a fearful expression toward the skeletons that hung on the older crosses. "Hey," he whispered to her, "It'll be alright, okay?"

She wrapped an arm around him once more, nodding. Sandra let out an annoyed grunt, slumping her shoulders. They passed through into the actual fort, her face brightening up at the sight of all the legion members, the camps, everything.

She ran up ahead, giving a twirl as she sang, "_The gates have opened, so has my mind_," she looked to the large arena, "_I didn't know they could do that they could do that anymore! I betcha they have about eight million broad machetes..._"

"She's singing? Why is she singing?" Ramona asked, her grip loosening on David's arm.

She skipped along, jumping from crate to crate. "_For years I've roamed these Wastes, why stay alive when there's no struggle to live anymore? But finally there's on last challenge I can face..."_

She grabbed the praetorian guards, spinning around in a sloppy, dancing-like fashion. "_They're actual real life soldiers_," she pinched his cheeks, "_Preparing for battle! Why can't I be one of them?_"

She pushed him off, to which David and Ramona quickly ran up and apologized for her rash behavior. But Sandra didn't care to listen, instead ran down a hill and leaned against the pole that held the Legion's flag. She smiled, catching her breath, "_For the first time, I've finally found a home! And for the first time, I know I'm not alone._"

She finally broke out of song, whispering to herself, "_I can't wait to see him again. After all this time, I get to see my love._"

She turned her back to the pole, sliding some of her tank top down her shoulder as she sang, "_Just imagine me in action, my clothes ripped and my hair a mess. I've taken a few bullets but that won't keep me down. Once I've been surrounded all around, he comes and shoots the leader down. Next thing I know, he's standing there; taking out enemies, untouched by all the warfare_." She let out a sigh, Vulpes' face vividly floated into her mind, "_Once again those stunning blue eyes make me so... Exciting_."

She took a few steps, her mind slowly tracing back to a special night they shared. "_We'll be trapped together- just me and him, splitting a bottle of wine I've shared for that day. Something begins to spark, a small, gentle flame that we find comfort in. And for there first time, he made me feel alive. It was magical, it was different... I was finally noticed._"

David and Ramona finally managed to catch up to her, taking a moment to catch their breath. Sandra seemed almost completely oblivious to this, still reminiscing in a night that had long since passed for about three years. She shook away the feeling, keeping it all at bay for just a little longer. She grabbed David, tussling his hair and wrapping her arms around her neck as she once more sang, "_Isn't this all just so crazy? To find love in such a faithless world? At least now, I actually have a chance."_

"Sandra," David snapped, making her silence at once. He squirmed out of her grasp, gently placing his hands on her shoulders, "Calm down, please just breathe. Be the good girl that Dad raised you to be. Just this once, don't be so... You. Say one wrong thing and everyone will be coming after us."

He noticed his sister's expression starting to fall into a more serious one, he picked up her chin, "It's only just for today."

"Just for today," she repeated. She gave a simple sigh, looking to the largest tent that sat higher than the rest. It was absolutely impossible to miss. "_I know I won't see him tomorrow, that's why I need today. And nothing will stand in my way._"

"So you're calm now?" Ramona asked, "Is your little song said and done with now? Are you going to tap dance with the recruits here?"

Sandra rolled her eyes, "Yes, I'm calm. I just... I've never been here before and I always wanted to see what it was like here. But let's move on, shall we? We're wasting daylight!"

David tossed an arm around Sandra to make sure she didn't try and run off again and held out an arm for Ramona to take. She smiled at this, locking both arms around his as he lead them to the large tent.

A few mongrels that sat at the entrance with their trainers growled at the three, though they never once left their place. All the guards and soldiers stopped to gaze at them, everyone falling to silence. Vulpes stood on Caesar's right, giving Sandra specifically a cool smile, to which she responded with a shy wave and a nervous giggle.

They reached Caesar's throne, David immediately taking notice of his mechanical hand and a strange device that stood in front of a wide bed at the very back of the tent. Sandra and David crouched down and bowed their heads in respect, Ramona on the other hand was busy taking in the view and looking around. David tried to get her attention a couple times, though Sandra had to reach around and yank her down to receive the memo.

"So you're the Courier that's been stirring these lands," Caesar greeted them, specifically looking to David, "I must say, you have two very fine women with you."

David looked up, instinctively placing a hand in front of Sandra, "I'm not exactly the person you're looking for." He nodded his head to the left, "She is, sir."

Ramona looked to him, watching as his face fell to one of disgust, "I see," he shook the expression off, returning to a neutral one, "Still, to track the man who shot you down and travel across the Mojave? You're determined, and when you're determined you get results. And not only that, but you pick up these two little monkeys who always end up in the middle of a very important mission and have yet to pull out your hair. You, my girl, must be more special than you let on. But that is why I summoned you here, is it not? But the real question is are you ready to begin?"

She sat back, shying away, "Where exactly were you looking to start? I mean, once I've dealt with Benny I'll be happily on my way."

His eyes once more traced back to David, "The time for my men to assault the dam and take over the west is quickly approaching. Before we take any actions, I want Mr. House taken care of once and for all- By you, of course."

"And how do you plan I do that?"

Caesar signaled David to approach his throne closer, "Come, my son. I will allow you the details and guide her how you see fitted."

The girls finally broke free of their positions, helping each other up. Sandra stretched her arms, purposely arching her back as she gave Vulpes a wink. He smirked at this, returning his attention to one of the praetorian guards. Ramona spotted a familiar checkered-outfit from the corner of her eye, nudging Sandra so that they could both marvel at the fearful-looking Benny.

They quietly approached him, his mouth curling into a nervous grin. "Babydoll! Last time I visited Memory Lane you and I were," his eyes finally took notice of Ramona, his face dropping, "Ah, so I see you've got yourself a playmate."

"The tables have turned, haven't they?" Ramona snickered, placing one hand on her waist.

"Sorry boo bear, I didn't tag along to reminisce," she smirked, her eyes glancing back to Vulpes. "My heart was already with moving on to bigger and better things."

He let out a loud groan, rolling his eyes, "Aren't you two such sentimental broads? Come here, Blondie, give Papa an ol' kiss on the cheek, will ya?"

"Shove it, Benny. We have the Platinum Chip and Caesar mentioned something about how I get to decide how you die."

"Don't smile so hard, pussycat, your mouth might break. Yeah, so Baldie's letting ya choose. Which way you leaning toward?"

Ramona chewed her tongue, mulling over her array of options until she heard David call for the girls. She looked down to Benny once more, taking out his lucky old lighter and tucking it inside his jacket pocket, "I'll sleep on it. You should enjoy your last few minutes alive."

The three regrouped, David signaling them to the tent flaps until they noticed Caesar pointed a finger at Sandra, "I want her here. I'm all too aware of her being the mastermind of the crazy shenanigans and how she happens to put our Vulpes here for quite a spin. I'm sure you two can manage without her?"

David began to protest, but was cut off by Sandra's elated gasp. She looked to sphere brother, ready to burst out of her own skin, "I'll be fine, no worries. You forget, Vulpes wouldn't let anything happen to me."

"You telling me not to worry happens to worry me, y'know?" He scowled at Vulpes, who returned the glare, "Especially with that creep."

"David Michael Larson," she huffed, "Trust me. I will be fine. I'm twenty-seven, not twelve. I can take good care of myself. Also, just a tip, the quicker you guys get done with whatever you're doing, the less time I'll be alone."

"I know, I know..." He scratched his dark, curly hair as he pondered. With his other hand, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small case of Med-X. "Just take this, alright? Just in case. You know how I worry..."

"I know," she nodded, feeling a Praetorian guard taking both of her hands and tying them together. She grimaced at the sudden discomfort, though she tried her best to keep a smile on. "I'll be a good girl," Sandra assured her brother once more.

David accepted this, despite his strong feelings to rip the guard's arms off. He looked to Ramona, leading out of the tent as he explained the plan, "Okay, to put it simply, we go down in this bunker and we blow stuff up. Caesar wants House out of the picture and that's hurting him where he least expects it. Sound easy enough?"

They stepped inside the small, run down building. They were both given back their weapons, excluding all of Sandra's, which sat alone in a corner. Ramona felt the rim of her rifle, "Just one problem, old pal. We don't have the Chip."

David held up a metallic, circular chip with the numbers 38 on it. He arched a brow, smirking, "Did you mean this one?"

Ramona smiled at this, snatching it away from his hand. "I'll get you back for that," she laughed, nudging him in the stomach. She slipped it into a small machine, waiting as it let out a strange, drilling-like noise and handed it back to her.

The ground opened up, revealing a stairway to a pair of platinum doors with the lucky numbers, 38, showing up once more. They felt the air intensify by a slight fraction, David letting out a cough into his jacket as he pulled up his Pip Boy.

"Looks like this whole thing is irradiated," he told her, "Be careful. Wouldn't want anything bad to happen."

"Of course Caesar would send us to somewhere that could potentially kill us," she rolled her eyes, taking a few steps into the next room to see a large computer with a suave looking man projected across it. "Y'know, something about that really makes me think of Mr. House and how we know little to nothing of him. Actually, I've always wondered if he was actually just a Securitron or something..."

"Not at all, my dear," the robotic sound coming from the computer startled them both, but continued anyway, "I am all too human. Though I do wish you could have met with me in the Lucky 38. Or when Benny fled, even. But that doesn't matter now, as you still wound up here. Shame too, you would've been the first person to step foot in over two hundred years."

"Well... Who are you, exactly? Is there anyway we can meet, y'know... Face-to-face?"

"Surely you know that I am Robert Edwin House and that I am President, CEO, and sole proprietor of the New Vegas Strip. As for a face-to-face encounter..." House let out a nerve-shaking, humane laugh through the robotic voice, "I believe not."

"I thought not..." Ramona sighed, crossing her arms. She took one more step forward, letting out a small cough, "You realize Caesar wants us to destroy this place, right?"

"Of course he wants this bunker destroyed! He's afraid of what it may contain and rightly do. But you're not going to do that, my dear. Oh no, you're going to do the smart thing and side with me."

Ramona hesitated as she fought gazes with the screen, feeling the air beginning to take on a sour odor. She grimaced at the strange feeling in her chest, most likely due to exposure. David put an arm around her, whispering in her ear, "Don't listen to him. Who knows what he wants."

She turned her head to look at David, the feeling lowering to her stomach. She gave an indecisive shrug, feeling a sudden pressure dropping on her. "Maybe it is the smart thing? I mean, he's helluva more trustworthy guy than Caesar..." She looked back to Mr. House, "But what does he want us to do, exactly?"

"You see, the Platinum Chip is a data storage device. I need you to upload the data onto the facility's primary computer. You'll find a terminal at the other end of the bunker."

Ramona began to ask another question when the computer screen was disrupted with the words 'Connection Lost...' covering the screen. She dug back into her pockets pulling out the Platinum Chip and holding it up to the light.

"Come on," David tugged on her hand, "We better go ahead and get this over with. We wouldn't want radiation poisoning now, would we?"

Ramona let out a chuckle at this, "We would not, sir." She took hold of his hand, David flustering with surprise, as she let them further deep into the bunker.

They fought their way through rooms guarded with protectrons and other sorts of robots. She wondered if Mr. House had purposely neglected to share this information or if he hadn't really known. Still, something about the topic of him made her queasy in her lower stomach.

The hardest part was the final room, of course. They had opened the door to nearly being bombarded by lasers and the strange dialogue the protectrons usually held. David mashed his hand against the button, closing the door immediately.

"How the hell are we suppose to get through that?" Ramona gasped, shaking on the other end of the door.

He took a moment to breathe, composing himself for the sake of them both. He dug his hand into his pocket, pulling out a grenade. "If there's anything I've personally learned from my sister over the years," he yanked off the pin, "Is that if guns don't work, explosives are the way to go."

He opened up the door, throwing it in there and shutting it once more. They felt the explosion shake much of the bunker, the door was bent forward by the impact and barely managed to work properly.

They took a few steps in, eyeing the robots to see in case an emergency battery tried to power them back up. Ramona pulled out the chip from her jacket pocket, her gaze lingering on a machine with a slot begin enough to slip the chip in. She inserted it, the machine making a similar sound before popping it back out.

"Is it... I mean, did we do it right?" David scratched the back of his head, looking around in case he had overlooked anything.

"I think so," she took back the chip, "Only one way to find out."

She wrapped an arm around David's waist and he did the same, the two leaning on each other for support. David has detected that they were both halfway to the point of minor radiation poisoning, urging them to move forward.

Before they left the bunker, she noticed on the wide computer screen of House had returned. "Looks like your wish is granted, House," she smirked, half-expecting him to not respond.

"You did good, my dear. Return to the Lucky 38 so we can discuss these next steps. You have a bright future ahead of you and thanks to your actions, so does everyone else."

Ramona looked back to the screen, the only thing on display now were the haunting words, Connection Lost...


	7. A Man's Gotta Do What A Man's Gotta Do

Vulpes Inculta stared at the tied up brunette, letting out a shaky sigh. One of the praetorian had tried to converse with him on the tidings between the Hoover Dam, but his attention kept wondering back to the girl in ties.

"She would make a beautiful slave," the praetorian commented, looking over Vulpes' shoulder and realizing what he was looking at.

This comment had enraged him, but he refused to let it show on his face. He simply looked back to the guard, leaning in to whisper quietly in his ear, "I will cut your tongue out and feed it to the mongrels if you ever speak of her in such a manner again."

The younger guard had noticeably stiffened up, not replying but instead letting out a light whimper. There were many guards that knew well enough to not cross Vulpes on the topic of Sandra, despite not knowing why. Sometimes it made Vulpes himself stop and ask himself why.

Then it all came back to him, three years ago...

_Their relationship had yet to evolve into anything more than common enemies at each other's throats. He and a small group of his frumentarii had managed to chase the two siblings into a cave, when part of the cave had collapsed on them. David and the soldiers were on one part of the labyrinthine cave while Vulpes and Sandra were on the other side. _

_One of her arms managed to get crushed and trapped underneath the rocks, leaving her Pip Boy's screen terribly cracked. He was ready to kill her, to finally do away with her so the world would have one less nuisance breathing. He picked up his broad machete, taking a few steps closer._

_"You won't kill me," he remembered her scoffing, much of her dark hair had fallen out of her ponytail, "Anyone else at any other place, but not me or my brother."_

_He raised his blade, lightly pressing the sharp tip along collar bone. The glowing fungi around them provided barely enough life to see one another. "And what is stopping me now?" He asked, his voice a usual calm tone._

_She let in a sharp breath, taking a deep gulp. "If you really wanted to kill me, wouldn't you have already done it? Sure, now you're probably just toying with me but you've had chances before. After this, when you let me live, you'll just get more and more chances," she spoke quietly, in a very slow manner._

_He wasn't sure what had drove him to proving her point, but there was never a day that passed that made him content with his action. He lifted the machete off of her chest, driving it between the rocks that held her hand captive._

_"Wait," she suddenly groaned, her voice became desperate, "Please, please- Not yet." He noticed her eyes begin to dampen, her figure becoming rigid. "I-I..." She closed her eyes, "I need you, alright? In my back pocket there's a shot of Med-X and, and- I can't move. It hurts."_

_He leaned in closer, slipping a hand around her thighs and into her back pocket. He smirked at the sound of her letting out a painful whine, breathing into her ear, "I like the sound of you begging. You should do it more often..."_

_"Wrong pocket, asswipe," she growled._

_He rolled his eyes, his hand digging into her other pocket and pulled out a full syringe of Med-X. He examined it, holding it up to the dim light. "What a girl like you is doing with such an addictive substance is not far from my knowledge..."_

_"I'm not a junkie," she protested, "Now please, everything's starting to really hurt..."_

_He grew irritated of her back lashing, yanking her by what was left of her ponytail back and injecting the syringe into her jugular. He could feel her body relax in his grip, her expression smoothing into one of content. Her chest slowly heaved, almost collapsing either into the rocky wall or into his arms. A strange feeling began to swell in his stomach, as a thought ran through his mind, over and over..._

"Vulpes."

Vulpes snapped out of his daydream, immediately turning to his leader. "Sir?"

Caesar frowned disapprovingly upon one of his highest ranking men. Perhaps the best, right underneath Lanius of course. He let out a chuckle, "You've been staring at the girl mighty hard for quite a while."

"Sir, I- I didn't mean to, of course, but-" He cut himself off, silencing at once as Caesar raised a hand. He took a deep breath, composing himself.

"You realize you can talk to her," he gestured to her, arching an eyebrow, "I will not forbid you from speaking to others. And if I do recall right, you two have quite a history together."

Vulpes felt an immense amount of paranoia beginning to overcome his senses. He still held a neutral face, but in his eyes it was clear a flood of panic rushed through his mind. Still, he kept himself as composed as he could.

He turned to her, eyeing two guards that were deep in conversation with one holding a clean water bottle. He walked by them and snatched the water away, only bothering to give the young soldier a quick, "I'll pay you back later."

He crouched in front of Sandra, who had been eyeing him as well. "Did you lose your hat?" She opened conversation, her body shifting towards him through its binds.

He smiled at this, holding out the water. "You must be thirsty," he suggested, holding it up to her lips, "I won't let it spill."

She opened her lips by just a few fractions, leaning forward and taking a swallow of the cold water. She retracted her head, Vulpes sealing the bottle and putting it to the side. Her large brown eyes breathed a dreamy expression, almost tearing up at the sight of him. He placed one hand on her chin, stroking the edge of her jaw line. "What is the matter?" He whispered.

She only let out a laugh, shaking her tears eyes away. "You were always so cool," she spoke with a spark of appreciation and longing in an undertone. She repeated herself, as if she was off in daydream, "So cool..."

"Oh yeah, and I'm just here," Benny spoke up rather loudly, attracting a good deal of attention. "That's okay, I'm just here- Alone, of course. No need to worry about ol' Benny, you-"

"Someone gag him," Vulpes spoke over the chairman, cringing at the loud noise. He watched as a guard stuffed an old rag into Benny's mouth and tied it around at the back of his head. He returned his gaze to Sandra, "I apologize."

"You're just a big ball of sunshine about here, aren't you?" She laughed, snickering at Benny's flustered face.

Vulpes suppressed a sarcastic roll of the eyes, lowering his voice so only Sandra would hear him, "You're a lucky little girl, I hope you know. You're lucky I l-" He stopped himself in time, taking a spare moment to lick his lips, "Lucky I care for you, that is."

She furrowed her brows, quirking her mouth to the side. He regretted opening his mouth, looking away from her. "When are you finally going to say it?" She asked, her voice more solemn than angry. Vulpes didn't say anything in return, only turning his head to look over his shoulder toward Caesar.

"Vulpes," she snapped to attract his attention, "It's been three years. How much longer do you need before I hear you say it?"

"Just a little longer." He turned his head back to her, "That's all I ask."

"And how long is that?" She whined, slumping forward. "I need you here, now!"

He hushed her, placing a hand on her knee. He leaned forward, brushing his lips against the side of her cheek before whispering, "It will be worth it, I promise you."

This much managed to erase the pouting expression on her face, which was now replaced by a more radiant one. He pulled his face away to meet her eyes, though her's were more drawn to his lips. He found this amusing, one hand slowly caressing upwards toward shoulder. He chewed his tongue, slowly mulling over a thought that were planted in both their heads.

"Perhaps I can show you around," he arched a brow, smirking, "I'm sure you would like the grounds."

She caught on to this, giving him nothing more than a wink. He grabbed her by the thick rope that tied her hands together, forcing her onto her feet. He merely exchanged glances with Caesar, leading her out of the enormous tent. They followed down the trail to the far back of the grounds, past the training area and behind the weathering monitoring station.

The first thing Vulpes acted on with the limited, but extensive privacy was shove Sandra against the grimy stone wall and press himself against her's. She let out a long groan as he attached his lips to her neck, lifting up one leg and hooking it around his thigh. His hands took a hold of her shoulders, giving them a tight squeeze as he bit down on her neck. She practically melted in his arms at the sharp feeling. Once again, his mind took him back to the distant memory he had held so close:

_He remembered after he had injected the fluid into her neck, he tore himself away from her. He took his machete, managing to lift up a few rocks just barely enough for her to squeeze her arm out._

_She fell to the dirty ground, coughing. He turned his back to her to get better look of his dimly lit surroundings. In truth, he didn't want to meet her eyes. Something about her was unveiled to him, as if part of a dense fog had finally cleared up. But he wasn't familiar with this foreign feeling in his stomach. The only thing that could ever relate to the nervous, fluttering feeling in chest was his passion to see Caesar rise and take the Dam and finally be rid of the NCR._

_But this wasn't about the NCR or Caesar, it was something about her. Whatever it was, he was scared to find out._

_He heard her coughing begin to transform into an almost mocking laugh. _ _"You know," she spat out one last nasty cough, "You're not evil, after all. Or at least as much as you let on to be."_

_He looked back at her, almost offended by her words. "Excuse me?" He took a step, "Perhaps you are unaware of how lucky you are to still be breathing, let alone talking."_

_She let out a snort, "No offense, but it's not really luck if I predicted it."_

_He muttered a few derogatory words under his breath, relieving his face of his goggles and his signature hood. He rubbed his eyes, leaning against a large rock that was surrounded by many of the glowing mushrooms. He noticed a faint light emerging from the corner of his eye. Sandra had attempted to tweak with her Pip Boy to see how much damaged was done. She managed to get the light on, lighting up a fifth of the cave._

_"Shouldn't your arm have been crushed by the weight of those rocks?" He inquired, as she seemed completely oblivious as to what had just happened to almost her entire arm._

_Instead, she just gave a lazy shrug, "Well most of the Med-X just kind of numbs the pain so it only feels really uncomfortable. My joints start hurting if I don't take it, so that's why I wanted you to get it."_

_He ignored a great deal of what she said, beginning to shake his leg in irritation. A part of him wished he had just done away with her already, let her suffer. But something stopped him from doing that, and he hated that something. She had skipped her way next to him, coming to a complete halt right in front of him._

_He let out a string on curses in his mind, turning to her. _ _"What do you want?" He demanded._

_"I've never seen your face before." Her voice was much different now, more calm than her usual upbeat or mischievous tone she usually carried around him. Her expression seemed almost in awe as she took in the new, fresh sight._

_"It's not a big deal," Vulpes shrugged this off, looking away out of secret embarrassment. He felt a soft hand brush against his cheek, tracing a long, slender finger beyond his temple and comb through his hair._

_"I like it," he heard her whisper, almost as if it was meant to be kept to herself. Vulpes caught her hand, his expression towards her began to change but he enforced his usual empty, cheerless expression._

_She snatched her hand away, clearing her throat, "I'm sorry, it's just I've never seen it before and I just..." She trailed off, looking down to the ground, "Sorry."_

_He smiled at this, "And here I thought we were enemies."_

_"Enemies don't help each other," she smirked, before her face lighting up and hitting her knee, "Nor do they ever do this."_

_She brought her small bag onto her lap, unzipping it and to his surprise, pulling out a large bottle of wine. He raised in his eyebrows, taking it into his hand. "I've been holding onto it for a day like this," Sandra explained._

_"You were waiting for a day where we were stuck alone in a damp little cave?" He made a face._

_"No, no! I meant a day where we're not trying to kill each other or a day where you don't have any back-up. It does sound a little weird, yeah, but it did happen."_

_He stared long and hard at the bottle, his grip around squeezing tightly to the point where his hands began to turn a light pink. He noticed a few cracks beginning to spread across._

_"I want to make something very, very clear between us," he broke the bottle against a smaller rock that laid next to the one they sat on, cupping one hand around her jaw and pointing the bottle to her throat, "You are not alive because I sympathized you nor because you told me to. I did it as a whim because while you may be a moronic nuisance, you are not necessarily a person with malevolent intentions like many others. You, little girl, are just a pawn in a game you are not winning in." He dropped the bottle, his hand reaching up to join his other one. He leaned in closer, his bright blue eyes burning into her deep brown ones as he spat venomously, "Am I scaring you yet?"_

_She let out a shaky breath, attempting to give a slow shake of her head in his tight grasp. "No," she meekly whispered. He loosened his grasp on his hands and control, crushing his lips against her's. They pulled each other close, their mouths releasing small grunts and moans between each heavy kiss, pulling at each other's clothes and armor._

Vulpes pulled himself away from those memories, finally releasing their kiss and leaning his head against her own. One hand had slipped through the backside of her pants, groping her ass while another hand was firmly pressed against the wall of the weathering station.

"I want it to be like this," Sandra panted, her chest heaving against him, "Every day, just like this, just you and me. Maybe without my hands being tied up, though."

"Oh no," he gave her a small kiss, teasing her tongue, "I happen to enjoy the thought of you being tied up. For me, of course."

"Only for you," she promised.

He leaned in for a much slower-paced kiss, his hand retracting from its grip on her bum and helped pick her up. She wrapped her legs around his waist in response. They heard talking coming through the door just around the corner from where they were.

"Mr. House may prove to be powerful ally," they heard Ramona protest, as her and another left the station, "We should at least give him a chance."

"Powerful ally is reasonable, yes. But he could prove to be a potential and equally powerful threat simultaneously. Almost nothing is known about him and that alone is what makes him so dangerous," they heard David argue in return.

Sandra gasped with elation at the sound of the two, hopping down from Vulpes' grasp and sprinting off to catch up with them. Vulpes sighed to himself, "Just a few more minutes could have been nice." He shook this off, reluctantly dragging himself in an attempt to catch up with her.

"Guys!" Sandra screeched, running up to them, "What was it like wherever you went? Where did you go, anyhow?"

David let out a loud groan, leaning his body against his sister's, "It's such a long story, we'll tell you on our way back to the Strip. Also it turns out you couldn't come anyways, since it was crawling with radiation."

"But it seems we may have a new ally," Ramona interjected. She noticed David's skeptical look, cueing her to add, "Or maybe enemy, but I like to be more optimistic about it."

"That's better," David snickered, "Now let's go get this over with, I bet her hands are probably chafing in those ties."

"Actually," Vulpes quickly spoke up, putting a hand on Sandra's shoulder, "Her and I were in the middle of something."

"I'm sure you could spare us a moment, Vulpes," David swatted his hand away from his sister, "This will only take a moment."

They headed toward Caesar's tent, where a guard who stood outside the entrance stopped them. "Caesar wishes an audience with you," he pointed to David, "Alone. The girls can wait outside." David dropped his arms around the girls, sighing, "Fine. I'll be back in a moment."

Ramona let out an irritated grunt at this, plopping to the ground and crossing her legs. She rubbed her temple, muttering under her breath, "Don't mind me, oh no, I'm just the Courier of course."

Inside, everyone seemed to have backed up as he proceeded toward Caesar's throne. He looked around suspiciously, instantly regretting giving up his weapons.

"I felt the ground shake just a few moments ago," Caesar smiled with approval, "I'll take that as a sign of a job well done. There are many rewards for doing as I command, even more for men who are loyal to me. You seem like the man who sets his loyalties right."

"Excuse me, I don't think I'm understanding you..."

"All I'm saying is that you would make a fine soldier. I could use some more of those son. Join us, David. I know of the stories that mention you and your sister. You're bright and cunning, but she's holding you back. She's keeping you like a dog chained to a tree. Join my Legion and you could consider it the first of many bestowments."

"And what would happen to the Courier and my sister?"

"They will become fresh slaves for my men. It's a win-win for you, my son."

"Is there any way we can work something out for them? I'm more than willing to negotiate, sir."

"I'm afraid not. It's join or die, my friend. I'm sure you wouldn't want to share fates with Benny."

He felt himself tense up at the sound of weapons leaving the their holsters, the guards glaring at him with anticipation. He tried his best to remain calm in the situation, but his pencil-thin body size compared to their muscular build he realized he had to use his wit and words to get out of this alive.

But how? Caesar was no fool, or he wouldn't have made the, confiscate all their items at the entrance. He focused his vision on Caesar who looked exhausted, narrowing his eyes past the throne and spotting an Auto-Doc that sat in front of a queen-sized bed. A thought popped up as his mind flashed back to something Sandra had mentioned to him a few years ago.

"Tell me, Caesar, there must be something? I have a few practical talents that could be for the greater good. I'm a doctor, you see. I can cure stomach aches, flu, radiation... Have you been ill?" He began to pace around the wide, open space. He smirked, "Headaches, sensory loss, fatigue, seizures even?" He came to an abrupt halt, his back to the large throne. He turned his head back far enough to spot the old man out of his peripheral vision, "Those are all signs of a tumor, you know."

Caesar's breath began to deepen, beads of sweat forming along his hairline. David was managing him into a corner and making him hurt. His robotic hand held up a hand of defeat, looking away. "Name your price."

"I want my sister and the Courier to walk out of here as free women. I want them granted free passage back to mainland, and without any assaults from fellow soldiers. In exchange I grant you my abilities as a physician," he gulped, closing his eyes, "And soldier."

"Looks as though you've struck yourself a bargain," Caesar held out a hand, "Welcome aboard, recruit."

David felt an intense feeling spurn inside his chest, as though the heat was finally weighing down on him. "Just let me say goodbye. Then I'm all yours." He extended his arm in return, firmly shaking in agreement.

He quietly left the tent, shooting Benny a look and growling, "I'll deal with you later." He pushed the large flaps out of his eyes, seeing Sandra, Ramona, and Vulpes sitting together on a log bench on another part of the wide camp. He watched from a far as Vulpes untied Sandra, kissing her neck as the girls conversed and laughed without any strange tension between them. He felt his eyes begin to burn with hot tears surfacing, quickly rubbing them away as he walked towards the group.

Ramona was the first to spot him, turning her body towards him and asking, "How'd it go? What'd he want?"

"He just told me good job and said we're free to leave," he lied, not entirely meeting her eyes.

He noticed Sandra flash Vulpes a sad look, tugging onto his hand tightly. He had always wondered what went on in their heads, what secrets were they keeping from the world. In fact, he was almost entirely sure they've had sexual contact before but that didn't bother him as much as it used to. "At least it's not like it's the last time we'll ever see each other," she muttered to Vulpes.

He helped his sister up, pulling her into a tight hug. "I love you, Sandy," he said through a muffled voice, burying his face in her shoulder, "I just don't want you to forget that."

"I... won't," she awkwardly patted his back, "Are you okay?"

He nodded his head, breaking away from the hug. Vulpes shot him a cocky smile, as if he already knew what had transpired between him and Caesar. David wanted to break those pearly white teeth out of his mouth.

The walk to the gate leaving the Fort was agonizingly fast for David, feeling as though he was ready to collapse more and more with every step. He watched as the girls began pack up their things, David slipped off his bag full of different medicines and handed it to Ramona, "Do you think you could hold this for me? Just for a little bit."

She looked to him, reluctantly taking the strap and throwing it over her shoulder, "I suppose. Why aren't you grabbing your things?"

"I don't think he's going anywhere," Vulpes answered for him, letting a chuckle. "I was wondering when he was going to tell you."

"Oh, you cocksucker," David spat, balling his hands into a fist.

"What's he talking about?" Sandra stepped in front of her friend, looking to her brother.

"I was trying to find the moment to tell you..." He began, his chest aching as Sandra's expression became more sullen. He closed his eyes as he lied his way out, "I think it is best if you two left. Alone. As in, I'm not coming with you."

Sandra's arms dropped to her side, her face became expressionless. Without any sort of warning or foresight, she took an empty fist and punched him in the nose. Ramona and Lucullus, who had been waiting patiently in front of the exit, instantly reacted and carried her away. She began screaming incoherently at David, who had fallen to the ground. Before she had been forced out, she cried out to her brother asking, "Why would you do this?"

He only looked back to her, a distant, cold look in his eye as he only replied with: "True to Caesar."

The doors slammed shut, separating the two. Lucullus threw Sandra onto the boat, pointing his weapon at her, "If you do not calm down at once, you will be forced to swim back to Cottonwood Cove."

Ramona helped Sandra sit up, letting the slightly older girl lean on her. "Sandra, please, just keep it together for a little longer. I would really prefer to not get wet."

"Don't you understand what just happened?!" She cried, her race turning beat red as she broke down into tears, "My brother is-"

"I know and I promise, we will get him back. But you have to be strong, just for a little longer." Ramona placed a hand on her shoulder, giving it a small pat. "There, there," she attempted to comfort her friend.

"I've never felt so lonely," she sobbed, feeling the walls that were once so sturdy begin to shatter like glass, "I just want my best friend back."


	8. Give the House A Chance

Ramona and Sandra finally arrived at Cottonwood Cove early into nightfall and traveled through, heading north. Ramona mainly had to carry her friend along the roads, despite how much she herself wanted to pass out on both girls. She made herself keep strong, though, hoping that Sandra would come to her senses and pull herself together. But that felt more like a fairy tale, now.

Sandra had cried herself to sleep while she leaned herself on Ramona's back, the bright blonde was stunned she had any strength to lift the poor girl off her feet. They had barely exchanged any words on the harsh trek to the northern part of the Mojave. It wasn't until later into that evening did she drop them off underneath a broken highway, formally known as the 188 Trading Post.

The sun had just finally dipped below the horizon, mercenaries that guarded the post were beginning to sit around and relax. Sandra had sat herself against the edge of the wall as she stared at the glowing lights of the Strip, Ramona particularly stared at the Lucky 38. She felt her chest want to melt at the thought of Mr. House.

She sat down across from Sandra, the girls looking into the distance. She tore her eyes away for just a moment, looking to the ground as she asked her friend, "How ya feeling?"

Sandra didn't respond, instead just running her fingers through the dusty ground. Her deep brown eyes looked vacant as if the lights were on but no one was home. Ramona tried to pass her a canteen that she had recently filled with water, only to be left hanging once more.

She scoffed at the lack of reaction, throwing the canteen by her side. She sat back, using her hands behind her to keep her propped up. "This whole David thing really fucked you up, didn't it?" She pursed her lips, shaking her head with disproval.

"Have you ever had a security blanket?" Sandra finally asked, her voice raspy and dry. She try to clear it some which resulted in her coughing. She finally met Ramona's blue eyes, feeling herself begin to already choke up, "And it was your favorite thing in the whole wide world? Or how it was always there with you- For you? How it was always 'to infinity and beyond'?"

Ramona tried to break the tension by pulling out a cigarette from her back pocket, "My best friend. Had to quit him when I was seventeen, started when I was eleven. Didn't think much of it then, but I thought it was nice to be needed by someone if you catch my drift. I still rely on my old buddy only when I need something to kill my stress levels."

Sandra didn't seem to cheer up at all by this, her breathing beginning to become heavy and slow. Her face twisted and grimaced as she let out one long, heavy sob. Her hands knotted themselves in her hair, pulling at it as her crying became louder.

"No, no." Ramona immediately hushed her friend, scooting closer and grabbing her hands. "David wouldn't want this," she warned, throwing them to the side as she pulled Sandra into a hug.

Sandra buried her face in Ramona's striped pink shirt, pulling her closer. They stayed like that for a long time, somewhere in the time the tall blonde managed to soothe her friend into a heavy sleep. She herself felt her head begin to spin from sleep deprivation, but she still kept her arms secured around Sandra's shoulders. "Maybe just for a few minutes," she yawned, laying back against the cold concrete and pulled her friend on her chest. "Yeah, just a few..." She said dazedly to herself as her eyes fluttered shut.

The next day she awoke to a pleasant surprise: Sandra already up and placing a small plate of natural fruits and nuts before her with a water bottle. Ramona blinked several times, wondering to herself if David leaving was ultimately a good turn of events. She sat herself up, prompting her to ask, "How long have you been awake?"

Sandra gave only a simple shrug, "A while."

Ramona ate most of the nuts, leaving a little bit of the banana yucca fruit for her friend. She did feel a lingering amount of sympathy towards her friend. She pushed the plate towards her, "You must be hungry."

She only looked coldly at the food, turning her back to stretch her feet. She pulled out a holstered sawed-off shotgun, giving it a good look around it. Ramona stared at it after she stored away the leftovers, realizing she no longer carried her bumpersword as she did when they had first met.

Sandra caught onto this, giving Ramona a vacant gaze. "I sold it," she explained, not needing a question, "Got some caps off of it while you were sleeping and bought this with some extra stimpaks. Thought we could use it more."

"Are you sure? You seem more like a melee girl to me," she attempted to keep the conversation alive.

Sandra ignored her once again, looking to the lucky 38. She had picked up her bag, tossing it behind her shoulder as she headed toward the eastern gate of Freeside. Ramona's surprisingly good mood began to drop some as Sandra's continuous actions of blowing her off began to get under her skin.

She tried to talk to Sandra some more, even tried to crack a few friendly she thought her friend could laugh at but didn't even manage a smile. In Freeside, she tried to mock some of the lowlifes that inhabited the dirty city. Before leaving to enter the strip, she noticed a group of men eyeing the two.

Inside the Strip a familiar cowboy robot stood outside the tall building that stood opposite of Gamorrah. Ramona was happy to see her rescuer once more, smiling to him, "Hey Victor, I was wondering when I'd see you around."

"Well, howdy pardner! The Boss man has been waiting for you, here just let me get the door for you..."

A piece of the roulette-colored wall began to retreat back behind its friends, revealing large double doors with a mat before it with the words Lucky 38 on it. The girls slowly stepped inside, looking around the casino. The air was stale and chilly, making Sandra let out an ugly cough.

Victor rolled on ahead on him, stopping right out front of an elevator. "Big Boss man has instructed me to show you and your little friends to the suite! It could be like a little clubhouse for your and your-" He paused, turning specifically towards Sandra, "Say, weren't there another of you?"

"Shut it, just get us to House," Sandra deadpanned. She let out a low growl.

"Well aren't you just a grand ball of sunshine?" He snapped at her, cutting off the conversation and narrowing it down to him and Ramona, "I would also like to add only you are the one who gets to actually talk to the guy. And your room, missy, is up in the suite. But he wants to see you tonight, so you two can get a little relaxation done."

"Sounds nice," Ramona she nodded, "So is there anywhere me and my friend go for some privacy? Maybe to actually get relaxation done?"

"Of course! There's the presidential suite, the cocktail lounge..."

"Sounds fun," she stepped in the elevator, pulling Sandra by the wrist. "We'll call you if we need you. Thanks."

The cocktail lounge was a very broad and bright room that overlooked much of the Mojave. Ramona leaned against one of the ruined chairs, surprised to see how preserved the Lucky 38 was. There were several loud crashes behind her, snapping her head back to see Sandra on the counter, kicking off small shot glasses, pitchers, and even some cash registers off.

"Will you please stop that?" Ramona groaned.

Sandra picked up a random bottle of alcohol, throwing it in Ramona's direction. It missed, instead hitting the wide window and breaking on impact. The window seemed almost unaffected by it.

Ramona huffed, stomping over and seizing her by the arm. She tried to pull her off of the counter, to no avail. Sandra tugged her arm out of her grip, pushing Ramona into the floor.

"You're acting like a child," Ramona picked herself up.

Sandra pulled out her sawed-off shotgun, blindly firing into the wall, "Does it really look like I care? I just want to see Mr. House and get my brother back."

"It's not just going to happen over night," she folded her arms, "Please, just get down. Mr. House can help, but you have to be kind about it. Be patient."

"You're not the one with family out there doing God knows what," she plopped herself onto one of the seats, "And I'm sorry, but leaving me with you wasn't a bright idea. I can barely take care of myself and I'm pretty sure you can hardly care for anyone but yourself."

"I don't think I was meant to meet up with two dysfunctional siblings with more problems than floors in this... Place," Ramona began slowly walking towards Sandra, "But now I feel obligated to have you tagged along in what was suppose to be _my_ story. Now, it's like it's not about me anymore."

By now the two were dangerously close to one another, their noses practically touching. Neither of them had lost their nerve, in fact it managed to increase the closer they had gotten. Ramona narrowed her eyes, breathing, "So if you could act your age while you're here, everything will be smooth."

Sandra pulled back a balled up fist, launching it at Ramona's cheek and jumping onto her. It had evolved into an all scale cat fight, hands and feet flying and trying to get a hit in as the two rolled around on the stainless floor. Ramona managed to roll on top, yanking most of her hair up. Sandra landed one last hit on the blonde before she rolled off, the both taking a moment to catch their breath.

"Sorry I hit you," Sandra sighed, rubbing the side of her face.

"Sorry I think you're a crazy psycho," she replied, turning her head to see the irritated expression on Sandra's face, "I thought we were being honest with each other?"

She rolled her eyes, pursing her lips as she turned back to the ceiling, "I'm sorry I lied about how Benny escaped. He didn't tie me up or anything, I slept in and let him get away. So, there it is folks."

Ramona kept surprisingly calm as she heard about this, "I had a slight idea. But hey, the Legion's probably done away with him anyways. At least I still have my Chip."

Ramona pushed herself up, stretching her arms and back. She felt very sore I the ribs and around the cheeks but this didn't affect her too much, as long as it didn't leave any physical evidence. She looked down to the bruised Sandra, extending a hand towards her, "Truce?"

"Truce," she agreed, taking her hand and feeling her body ache as she slowly rose onto her feet. She continued rubbing her feet, groaning in pain.

Ramona laughed at this, patting her friend on the back. "Go find a room, there might be something to help cover up that nasty bruise under your eye."

Sandra covered her eye in response, slumping her shoulders with disappointment. Ramona heard a ding go off, the doors to the elevator opening up with Victor signaling her to approach, "Hey there little missy, I hate to tear you away like this but the Boss is wanting you to get ready pronto."

She arched an eyebrow, "What exactly am I getting ready for?"

"You'll see here pretty soon," he assured her.

She folded her arms, dragging herself into the elevator. She gave her friend a farewell wave before the doors closed off and headed up into the Penthouse. Victor didn't follow her out, but another robot with the picture of a woman on the screen.

"Oh, I don't think we've met yet!" The mechanical woman chimed, "I'm Jane, one of Mr. House's girl. We keep him... Entertained. We usually don't get many guests, if at all. But I'm here to make you all nice and pretty and show you to where you'll be staying."

She followed Jane, looking to the posters and decor of the penthouse. She noticed some of the posters were ripped apart and often excluded a face. This had become a repetitive thing among the posters, sending a strange feeling down her shoulders.

"Jane?" Ramona spoke up, noticing they have stopped in a wide room with a queen sized bed and some bookshelves. "Oh, this is my room?"

"You bet! We have everything set out for you on your bed and just let me know once you're finished."

She walked toward the bed, squeezing between a small end table and one of the wider bookshelves. On the bed laid a sleek black dress with a strand of pearls and matching heels that laid beside the wide bed. She slowly picked up the dress, glancing over her shoulder and noticing the three Protectrons that were placed around the room.

She turned back, beginning to strip herself of her clothes and threw them onto her bed. The torn posters repeated through her mind, conjuring her to ask, "Jane, can I ask you something? Like a girl talk?"

"Anything, sweetie. What's on your mind?"

"What's with the torn up pictures? Was it vandalism, an accident, or were they just not preserved right? I've noticed there's a lot of that here and no where else that I've seen," she glanced back, throwing her pants on the bed. She looked at the dress once more, noticing the thin straps that tied around her neck, making her sigh and proceed to undo her bra.

"Oh, that's nothing. There was just an incident and, uh..." Jane turned around to reassure herself it was just the two of them. She inched closer to Ramona, lowering her voice, "Mr. House had a wife, you see, and when she passed on well... He was sad, to say the least."

Ramona's gaze fell to the ground, muttering to herself as she looked at her lower naked half, "Poor thing... He must have felt lonely."

"We don't talk about it much," Jane leaned forward, letting out an audible sigh.

Ramona pulled the dress over her head and tugged it down. She took the straps and tied them around her neck, patting everything down and making sure her cleavage was tucked neatly under the think, skintight fabric. She slipped on the matching pearl necklace and bracelet, crouching down to strap her feet in the heels. She looked to Jane, using her screen as a reflection and grimacing at the sight of her hair, "Jesus fucking Christ..."

She combed through her hair with the use of her fingers, taking a hair bow from her jacket pocket and tying her hair into a tight bun. She still didn't exactly feel happy about it, but she felt it certainly looked better than it did before. She huffed, asking, "How do I look?"

"Oh, I think you're just gorgeous!" Jane cooed, getting a smile out of Ramona. "Go on, now! Mr. House is waiting downstairs, just over there!" She walked Ramona to the other end of the room, to a stairway leading down to a table lit by a few candles with food and wine. On the opposite side of the table, was the wide computer of Mr. House.

Ramona kept a soft, kind expression as she slowly making her way down the stairs while clutching onto the railway.

_Don't trip and fall, don't trip and fall, whatever you do please don't trip and fall like an idiot, _she thought to herself as she slowly climbed down. One of the Securitrons that guarded around them pulled out a chair for her to sit in.

"Dinner, eh?" She smiled, picking up her tall glass that was already filled with wine, "Had I known this, I might have procrastinated on meeting Caesar."

She heard him chuckle, "Ah, so we finally speak face-to-face... So to speak. But yes, I like to entertain the guests I do get, even if it has been two hundred years. But, I digress. I hope you have come to deliver the Platinum Chip?"

"This?" She held up the small chip, "Take it." She placed it on the table, pushing it towards him with a single finger. "Consider it my way of paying the bill."

"Ah, such a small little item. So tiny, yet so... Capacious. I've spent decades hiring salvagers to search the ruins of an old, abandoned city called Sunnydale. When it was found, of course, it had to be hand delivered to me here, in the Lucky 38, the next day. But bombs fell first. It would be obvious to say the delivery was never made."

"It has now, though. It wasn't exactly easy, but at least I made a few companions on my way. But tell me sir, what are you going to do next?"

"Oh, a great cascade of events are upon us. And you are center role, my dear..."

She felt her cheeks begin to burn with appreciation as she clung onto every word the soulless computer pronounced so fluently.

"... But for just a moment, however, all I need you to do is take the elevator down to the bottom level. There, you will understand of what you had accomplished at the Fort."

Before she got a moment to take into account what he had said, she was forced onto her feet by House's mechanical henchmen. They accompanied her to the elevator, though she didn't fully see why she would need any accompanying until she took the elevator alone. It rushed down as far faster pace than it ever had, bumping and violently shaking.

Without warning, the doors had opened up and letting off the casual _ding_. She shielded her eyes as the new light in the previously dark elevator had momentarily blinded her. She took a few steps, squinting as her eyes slowly adjusted to everything. She noticed a wall of energy separating her from a few Securitrons below.

She listened to House explain their new and advanced primary weapons, watching as they set off a few missiles toward the wall. The sounds and explosion had shook her to the core, making her flinch back in fear.

She heard the familiar ding from behind, coming from the elevator. She sighed with reluctance, bracing herself for the crazy ride ahead of her. Instead, she was given something more smooth than the one she had experienced beforehand. She had been sent back to penthouse in one piece, her nerves rattled, but nonetheless fine and dandy.

"Trips to the basement are rarely so educational, don't you think?" She could practically hear him tease a smirk towards her.

She sat back in her seat, taking a large gulp of the wine that had been waiting for her. She let out a nervous laugh, lifting a hand to pat and make sure her hair was still decent looking. "I must agree. That was... Much different. I'm glad I could help."

"Now, thanks to you, the foundation is laid. My Securitrons on the Strip are upgraded and their brothers, ready for action. Now we just need time to adjust the attitudes of some lesser groups as we await an attack from Caesar's Legion on the Hoover Dam.

This is where I may need you again. Outside of New Vegas is what was once called Nellis Air Force Base, an unusual tribe. They are, ah, what's the word... Aggressively reclusive. They tend to bombard with projectiles at anyone who dare approach the base.

Artillery of this sort has a range of several miles. I could use this to my advantage. If there's no way we can draw a truce I want to make sure that they don't sign similar treaties."

She hesitantly nodded, looking out the window as she let all this information soak, "I'll see if there's anyway I can persuade them to join the right side."

"Good girl. I knew I could count on you."

She leaned forward against the table, teasing a grin, "Tell me, Mr. House, do you look anything like your picture?"

He let out a shaky laugh, "Please, call me Robert. If we are going to be working alongside I rather us at least be on a first name basis."

"Don't you think this is a bit... Romantic, for a social call?" She traced a lone finger around the mouth of her glass.

"I don't think I have heard a single complain from those nice pink lips of yours, correct me if I'm wrong."

"You caught me," she sat back, covering her mouth with the back of her hand as she laughed, "But in all honesty, I must admit this is rather nice. I don't think I can recall a time where a man has treated me to something so nice..."

"Probably due to the fact that you've never met the owner of the Lucky 38 before tonight," his voice held an arrogant tone, before changing into something cooler, "I don't think you've informed me of your own name, miss."

"I'm sorry," she suddenly felt flustered, straightening in her seat, "I'm Ramona and my friend is Sandra. Not the man you saw me with, of course, but-" He stopped herself to calm down, taking a deep breath, "Just... Ramona."

"It's a lovely name, my dear. Just as lovely as your face, if I may add."

She didn't respond to this gesture, mostly because she felt no need to. They had sat there in a peaceful, relaxing silence that she had needed for a while. House had silently understood this, as he added later on once she had managed to finish her meal of Brahmin steak, "You're beautiful, in complete honesty."

She only smiled in return to the man in the screen. She studied the details of the face, the texture, the tone of his voice. Securitrons had removed the empty plate, the half empty glass, and the rest of the table until nothing separated House and Ramona. She slowly pushed herself onto her feet, feeling just a bit dizzy but caught herself in time.

"When do you think we will be able to finally meet face-to-face, Robert?" She asked, tilting her head forward in an understanding fashion.

House was silent for a long time, turning the atmosphere from peaceful to eerie. The Securitrons resumed their position around the room once more. She heard a long shaky breath be released through the speaker, House only replying with: "Good night, Ramona." Before she got a chance to reply, it the connection was cut off.

She felt a deep pit of loneliness emerge from her stomach, turning around to slowly walk toward the stairs. Before she mustered up the will to walk up the dreadful stairs, she looked back to the blank screen, murmuring softly with a calm breath, "Good night, Robert."


	9. On the Other Side

David had began his first full day in the Legion now. Caesar was in recovery and was to stay in bed as the days erode the pain away, but in all the operation was a success. Some of the high commanding officers were very respectful of him because of this great deal he had given, but the lowly recruits didn't seem him any better than the common rabble.

He was forced to sleep in the cramp little tents along with a few others, but not even the small makeshift bedroll could comfort him. He had been awakened to the feeling of icy cold water being poured onto him, shaking him awake.

He felt his nerves were already on edge from the moment he had awoken, shaking away the bad images his dreams cursed him with. It was hard for him to keep his eyes fully open, even after the feeling of the cold water that had splashed on his rather pale skin. What did keep him awake, however, was the feeling of the uncomfortable Legion armor he had been given. He was never really used to wearing a skirt of all things.

The Decanus that lead the quartet of fresh recruits, Leon, was a large man that greatly resembled a newborn Deathclaw to David. The fearsome appearance Leon bore along with his abnormally deep voice was enough to scare the lightweight recruiters into submission.

He had forced the quartet down to the ground and with what was probably a casual snarl, he ordered to his group, "If you are to want to survive against the Profligates, you must build your own strength. You are not just given with the muscle you have now; you are to utilize your body like you would with a knife or a gun. Make yourself into a weapon. I want to start you four whelps with twenty five push ups."

The other three raced ahead of David as they managed to fluently lift themselves without a problem. It took the core of his inner strength, determination, sweat, and everything he could muster to complete a single push up. He fell back to the ground, feeling as if he would pull a muscle at any moment.

"I-I think I hit my limit," he panted, his face had became a dark beet red.

He felt Leon's heavy boot turn him over onto his back, the large man blocking his vision of the bright sun. Leon cocked his head, "I'm sorry, you hit your limit did you?"

David began to nod until Leon brought up his boot and stomped on his chest one hard time. David clutched around his torso, coughing and writhing on the dirty ground in pain. He looked up to Leon, tears filling his eyes as he tried to contain any pain-filled groans. He heard Leon laugh, referring to the other three, "Would anyone else like a break? No? Good."

He heard a following whisper along with a tap on his shoulder. He turned over to find a man who looked barely of age in mid push-up, looking about to collapse as well. He had bright, sunny blonde hair and a tanned complexion, though David was sure some of it was dirt.

"Get up," he warned, glancing up to Leon whose attention was caught on something else, "Or he'll make sure he breaks a few more ribs."

David groaned as he rolled back onto his stomach, taking a deep breath and mustering up the courage to push himself further to only fifteen. Leon had noticed the other three men had completed their task and waited on the ground, telling them to take a few laps around as he crouched down to David's level.

"Sir," he began to explain to his Decanus, feeling his sweat collecting at his brow, "I really think I need to see about my-"

"Do it on your own time. Right now, I want to see those last ten push-ups before I personally send you to the healer," Leon spat at him, spraying David's face in saliva. He laid on the ground for a moment further, flinching in fear as Leon began to lift his boot. He could hear Leon laugh in amusement at his reaction.

By noon, he had finally completed the set of push ups and had began his first lap around the interior side of the Fort. The heat had taken a toll on his physical shape and had caused David to collapse on the ground, almost making him pass out.

His group had been watching him while they had gotten time to relax, the blonde boy hopping from his seat and sprinting to help his fallen comrade. The others scoffed at this and only snickered at the reaction, not thinking it as anything but special.

David's vision began to darken and fade from the wide open sky to pitch black as laid on the ground. He felt his chest begin to tighten, the coughing beginning to make his throat dry and itchy. He was ready to completely black out until the blonde boy from earlier entered his vision, shaking him violently, "Oh my god, are you okay?"

He only shook his head in return, grabbing the fellow boy's shoulder and tightly holding on. He felt his head beginning to swim, everything going black with the last thing he could remember seeing was the blonde man with the fearful expression.

When David awoken, he found himself underneath a shady tent with his chest still sore, but he was too groggy to really pay attention to anything. He began to get up, the pain kicking in and hitting his nerves which made him let out an agonized whimper. He felt a hand gently press him back down, the man from earlier had came into his line of sight with a relieved expression.

"You had me worried," he smiled, sitting down next to him, "Lucky for you, Leon only managed to crack one rib. Other than that your main problem was dehydration."

David's vision began to go out of focus, blinking hard. "Did you do this yourself?"

"Me? Oh no, no. I'm not really good with that kind of stuff, I just got you over hear and had Siri patch you up. I was worried." His bright green eyes scanned David's face, a hand brushing his dark hair out of his face.

"Hard to believe you're Legion," David let out a pained chuckle which resulted in him coughing, "You seem... Kind, so far at least. Something you wouldn't find around here. How long have I been out, anyways?"

He noticed the man's cheeks become a light pink, looking away. "Only a few hours. Leon let me off the hook of any more training to make sure you were okay, which was probably the one thing I could ask for."

David tried to get up once more, this time the man held him in place by the shoulders. He let out another whimper, one hand reaching out to the other's forearm and gripped it tightly. He was still very sore, making a great effort to contain any further groaning. He tried to push himself to stand, but almost ended up collapsing onto the other man, who pushed him back on the table.

"You need rest," he insisted.

"I need to get back at Leon," David protested.

"You have plenty of time for that. But right now, you need to rest up. Don't want to push yourself too hard, do you David?"

This had caught him off guard, suspiciously eyeing the man. He shifted himself away from him, slowly asking, "And would you care to tell me how you know my name?"

"Oh, that's easy," he began to grin widely, as if he was starstruck, "Everybody know who you are! Or should know, anyways. You're the guy who helped Caesar before joining his ranks. You're practically a hero!"

_He's a nutjob,_ he thought to himself, glowering, _Just like the rest of them._

"I-I'm Julius," he suddenly became nervous, his hands beginning to become restless as they fiddled with each other on his lap, "I'm sorry, I just get excited and happy and I end up running people away without meaning to. I'm just excited to be your friend."

This had melted through David's cold hatred of the Legion, but not by much. He had a hard time being resentful and Julius just poked through his ego. He scratched behind his ear, kicking away the guilty thoughts in his head.

"Well, Julius," he looked to him, his mouth straightening into a flat line, "It's a good thing we're in the same squad, then. I don't think you could run me off if you wanted to."

This had made Julius beam with jubilance, his green eyes wide. "Everyone should be gathering for supper, shall we meet the others?" He suggested, "You'll like them, they've been two of my closest friends for a while now."

David dreaded the idea of having to be near his fellow comrades. One was half a foot taller than himself, with as many freckles and pimples as there were stars in the sky and strawberry blonde hair. The other was only slightly taller than David by a sliver of an inch, with longer than needed pure black hair and a constant cold, detached look in his eyes. From just their appearance he knew he didn't want a thing to do with them.

But, his stomach was insistent to consume something which persuaded him to follow Julius out of the tent and to another part of camp where many of the lower ranks sat around. Many of the Decanus and a few recruits sat at the tables, but David's own group sat around a fire.

David sat down the farthest away from the other two, Julius sitting across next to the man who always carried a vacant glare. He slowly turned his head toward Julius, demanding in a low, cold voice, "Down."

This had broken Julius' happy-go-lucky smile into something more fearful, sliding off the seat and onto the ground near the fire. David tried to offer his seat, but Julius insisted that he wanted to stay near his friend.

"Why don't you introduce yourself to our new friend?" The man looked to his slightly disfigured friend, gesturing towards David.

The man stopped to think for a moment, his mouth hung open as it was filled with mashed up food. He slowly looked to David, who tried his best to look kind and not disgusted, and stared at him blankly for a solid minute. Finally, he began to chew once more and answered with, while accidentally spitting out food, "I'm Sue."

"What? Never hear' of a boy named Sue?" He asked in a very thick southern accent, a bit of Brahmin steak had flown out of his mouth and landed on David's face.

"Sue, where are your manners?" The man pretended to scold Sue, before glaring at David. "Don't mind him, he's too dim to talk right. But I suppose that's why they put me in this little group. I mean, someone's got to guide these sack of bolts to glory." He grinned, extending a hand, "Radke."

David began to extend his, but retreated back at the last second. Radke's face fell, his expression hardening as he added, "I only shake hands with my equals, anyway."

Julius had leaned his head on Radke's leg, to which he was forcefully pushed away. He crawled away to David's side, where he was accepted to sit next to him. He smiled at David, nodding to the other two, "Tell them how you joined."

"Yes, tell us," Radke insisted.

"Well, I'm not expecting any of you to understand, but..." David finally tore his eyes away from Radke to his new friend. "Have any of you loved someone so much that you would give an arm and leg for? I mean literally give up an arm and a leg for." He looked around the small fire, smirking, "No? Not even if they were your whole world and the thought of them hurt practically drove you mad? Yeah, didn't think so."

"I do," Julius quietly spoke up, his eyes looked practically heartbroken.

"Please Julius, spare us of your undying allegiance," Radke barked, though David wasn't concerned with whatever remarks he made. "Unlike any of you, I came here by choice. I saw the Legion's potential and I didn't wait for them to knock on my door. They have the strength, but they need someone of my brilliance to lead them in the right direction."

"Quite the chatterbox, isn't he?" Julius whispered, scooting ever so closer to his new friend.

"He's... Ah-"

"Say it," Radke interrupted him, "I'm insane, I'm a psychotic, I'm whatever. I know exactly what I am and I will use it to whatever advantage I find the opportunity for. In fact, I'm better off than these other two. Look at ol' Sue for example," he patted his disfigured friend's shoulder, "He's big, someone that a normal person wouldn't screw with. Now when we found him back east, he was part of this old, strange tribe where everyone is literally related to each other. Does that sound so bad? It's like rescuing a puppy from a shelter. Now, if I wasn't here to help this dim-witted pinhead, who knows what could have happened to him."

"Yep," Sue croaked in agreement, though it was doubtful he knew what they were talking about.

"Good boy," Radke tossed him a crisped squirrel that was impaled on a stick. Sue caught it in his mouth.

David hesitated to say anymore until he was certain he was finished with his babbling. "What I was going to say," he said slowly, "Is that you seem very talkative."

"I try to do the most talking out of the three of us. I am the one with the highest IQ, of course."

David looked to Julius, who was making a strange face to mock Radke's while he wasn't looking. They tried to contained their snickers, Julius leaning his head on his friend's shoulder for support. Sue even picked up on the chuckling until Radke demanded that they all stopped.

They sat there in silence, David quietly picking at his Brahmin steak as he slowly nibbled on it. He felt Julius scoot closer, their legs rubbing against each other as Julius pointed something out in the distance. "Oh, I hate it when they crucify..." He heard his blonde friend moan in displeasure

He followed his gaze to a small group of Legion soldiers who carried a crucifix with someone tied to it. He could make out the outline of the man, who tried to squirm his way out.

"They say he's from the Strip in New Vegas," Julius went on, "Not sure what exactly he did to get the cross, but it must've been really bad."

"Ah, I know him," David answered, "This guy named Benny. Not exactly the kind of guy Caesar would let in, though I'm a little surprised that's what they decided to do with him."

"I thought they were suppose to let the Courier decide his fate?" Radke spoke up.

David turned to him, making a face, "Yeah, but then they realized the Courier was a girl and I'm sure we all know what happened there."

His friends made a face at his words, though he didn't a remark from any to know what they were thinking. Radke looked around toward three friends, asking them, "Here's a question for you all, if there was anything that you could be or do in the world, what would you choose?"

"I'd honestly commit myself to the wonder of science and medicine, try to help as many people as I can," David answered immediately, "If we're going to try and change the world, we gotta try and help out as much as we can- Perhaps by actually helping."

"Seems like you really know your stuff," Julius said in a tone of admiration, almost breathless, "I'm not really sure what exactly I'm good at, but I guess if all else fails I could just be a mercenary."

"What about you, Sue?" David leaned forward to attempt a friendly conversation with his fellow comrade.

"Sue wants to be a botanist," Radke answered instead, "He might as well. He eats about anything that grows out of the ground, or even if it's just found there."

"Well then, what would you like to be?" He asked, slowly beginning to become annoyed by the sound of Radke's voice.

"Me? I might as well be the next Caesar," he snickered, "Except I'd actually take this serious. I'm not letting just any poor fool in my militia, though. Especially if they touch any of _my _women. Like your sister and that blonde girl?" He smirked as he noticed this had caught David's attention, pressing him to continue, "I wouldn't make them open slaves for my men to use, no. They're my whores to do as I please. But the second they try to escape? I'm putting a fucking bullet in their head."

David stood, taking Julius' drink and splashing it at Radke. He laughed at this, not at all affected by the cold water hitting him and his armor. David's face had quickly turned a bright red, beginning to storm his way until Sue got up and stood in his way.

"Sue, move," he demanded, attempting to shove him out of the way but failed.

Sue wrapped his large arms around David and threw him a few feet away. He let out a lazy, dull roar before slowly retreating back to his former seat. Radke had probably the widest, shit-eating grin he had ever seen which only boiled his blood further.

Julius immediately got up, rushing over to help up his new friend. "Please don't be mad at him," he spoke in a hushed whisper, wiping off some of the dirt on David's armor, "That's just how he plays around."

"Yeah? He keeps playing like that I'm going to cut his fucking tongue out," David practically yelled to be sure Radke heard him.

Julius shied away, no longer making eye contact with his friend.

They both heard a whistle, Radke clapping his hands together and calling for Julius as if he was a dog. They heard a few other soldiers laugh at this and mock him, he quickly wiped away tears that were beginning to form.

David began to receive the distinct feeling of eyes watching him- A certain pair. He slowly looked over his shoulder and under the vermillion sky was no other than Vulpes Inculta coming his way. He was slightly relieved it wasn't Leon, who was probably the physical incarnation of his nightmares. But that didn't completely rule out his great dislike of Vulpes, however.

"I'm going to bed," he quickly told Julius, getting up and leaving behind his "friends".

He tried to pass by without striking Vulpes' attention, but to no avail. He felt Vulpes grip his shoulder to stop him, to which he let out an audible sigh and slumped his shoulders.

"Ave," Vulpes greeted, "I never got the chance to thank you for what you-"

"No offense," David interrupted, letting out a humorless laugh, "But I'm nowhere near in the mood for your cock-suckery, if that's even a word. I'm not even sure, but I'm so... So not in a good mood I don't care."

"I take it something is upsetting you?" He asked.

"No fucking duh," he retorted, "You know, you made a nice little decoration out of Benny- Which I'm not that surprised that's how you wanted to end him, by the way. But I'm not exactly with what I've been hearing containing your little girlfr-"

"_Shut up_," he said in a low growl, tugging him to the side, "I would really like to keep my... Er, my feelings with your sister a secret. It's for all of our best interests."

"Fine, but you can't tell me if someone was threatening and degrading her you wouldn't me upset?"

Vulpes' expression remained neutral, but David could see a spark of pure anger in his eyes. Vulpes tilted his head, a wide, malevolent grin stretched that had deterred him on the inside. "Please, tell me more," he kindly asked.

"See, it's something like that makes me glad that you don't always smile. You could children cry with that..." David ran his fingers through his hair, scratching his head, "Well, there's this huge dickhead in my squad-"

"Julius?" He inquired, his face falling.

"No, no," he quickly shook his head before taking a step back, "What makes you think it was Julius? He seems like a sweet kid."

"Oh, good," he let out a relieved breath, shaking his head, "Please, go on."

"Okay... Well, I can't really begin to stress how much of a- Nevermind that. Basically, he said if he got to control the Legion, something or other, and how he would make my sister and friend his personal slaves and if they thought of leaving he'd put a bullet in their head." He hooked an arm around Vulpes' neck, "Now, does this sound like something either of us would like?"

"And who would this person be, by any chance?" Vulpes slowly breathed.

"This guy named Radke, he's about my height. He's-"

"I know him," he narrowed his eyes, "He tends to get in quite some trouble with his mouth..."

"You see, that doesn't surprise me now." He waited for any further reactions coming from Vulpes, who remained silent and neutral. David was surprised and mildly irritated at this, almost disgusted. "Well?"

"I will handle it," he assured him.

Vulpes began to leave without any further discussion, the spark of anger returning to his eyes. David took a step forward, folding his arms as a thought popped into his mind, "Vulpes, why did you think it was Julius?"

Vulpes stopped in place, turning his head halfway to David's direction. "Just a warning for future reference, if he gets a bit... Ahem, personal, please let me know." He turned back and continued walking away.

"That doesn't answer my question," David protested, but sat back and watched as Vulpes left without another glance.


	10. Arcade and Archimedes

The girls were seen coming and leaving the Lucky 38 for the next couple weeks. Sandra managed to infiltrate the Boomers and had them agree to lend artillery for the battle of Hoover Dam. As for the Omertas, it was impossible to try and work out any type of alliance and the leaders of Gammorah had met their fate. But now, Mr. House had ordered them to infiltrate the Brotherhood of Steel and destroy the bunker.

Ramona did notice something once they had entered back into filth and slum of Freeside: There was always the same few people gathered not too far from the Securitrons that guarded the Strip's entrance and watched them come and leave. Sandra hadn't noticed this on the other hand, as if it was a big surprise.

One of the men from the group approached them, his eyes were bloodshot red. "Hey, wanna see something cool?" He asked.

"Sorry, but-"

"Of course we would!" Sandra looked to her friend, shrugging her shoulders sympathetically, "What's the worst that could happen? It's probably just a dead rat they've kept for the past week."

Ramona rolled her eyes as the two proceeded into the long alley, a few others following behind him. She noticed a few others began to follow behind, the same others she saw with the man prior.

"Uh, I really don't think we should be here..." She tugged on Sandra's arm in an attempt to persuade her to leave.

"It's right there! Right behind that dumpster!" The man pointed between two dumpsters, breathing heavily.

Sandra stepped closer, craning her neck around to get a glimpse of whatever the man held hidden. "See, Ramona? It's not that bad, it's just a dead... Body... I have the distinct feeling something very terrible is about to occur."

Ramona instinctively reached for her rifle but was smacked out of her hands by a lead pipe one of the men were holding. Another pulled out straight-edged razor, inching closer toward Sandra and attempting to plunge into her, to which she thankfully missed. The man had turned around, accidentally running into Ramona lower stomach. She pushed him back, covering the wound while letting out a string of curses.

Sandra immediately grabbed the man by the hair, throwing him to his other friends. She finally grabbed for her new, baby of a shotgun and landing more than just a few bullets into them. Anyone who remained ran off.

Ramona had knelt onto one knee, kneeling forward as she tried to keep pressure on her wound. Sandra managed to remove a hand from her, to which she found it shaking and almost entirely covered in blood.

"It's okay, I got you," she assured Ramona, scooping her up.

Ramona's eyes had fluttered shut, her wheezing becoming more audible as she struggled to breathe. Sandra began to feel herself panic, rushing to the Old Mormon Fort. She vaguely recalled of the people there and how they'd possibly be willing to help her friend.

Inside, she wasn't exactly sure who was in charge. She found herself wondering into of the sizable tents in the far back where only an older man with blonde hair and glasses sat, scribbling down a few things onto a clipboard.

"_YOU_!"

The man nearly jumped out of his seat, a few papers flying off the desk. "Me?" He attempted to mimic her tone, before his gaze lowered to Ramona,"You look like you could use a doctor, you might want to check the others. I'm just a researcher-"

"Help. Need. Now."

"Uh, no I'm sorry. I'm not exactly a people person, you see. Plus someone needs to do the research around here-" She began to start hyperventilating, a lip trembling as she began to cry. The man tried to worm his way out, but soon the guilt began to take affect. "Okay, okay fine! Just lay her down, but I must warn you my covert bandaging skills are a little rusty."

She laid the unconscious Ramona down on one of the beat up mattresses and sat herself down, pulling her legs tight to her chest. "This is all my fault," she whimpered, "I should have listened to her..."

The man snapped his fingers in her direction to focus her attention on him as he pulled up his seat. "Hey, stick with me now. You and your friend are going to be okay. Can you tell me your name?" He asked.

"I'm S-Sandra and she's Ramona. W-Who're you?"

"I'm Arcade, I'm with the Followers," he glanced back to Ramona. When he looked back to Sandra he noticed she was rubbing her arms. "Would you like my jacket?"

She hesitated for a short moment, before the ends of her lips began to curl into a small smile. "Y-Yeah, I'd really like that. My brother use to give me his old jacket when something like this happens."

"It's what I'm here for." Arcade returned the smile, taking off his jacket and wrapping it around her. He finally built up the courage to look at Ramona's wound, tugging her pants down low enough to get a decent look at the cut.

Sandra slowly turned her head in the direction of the two, the sight of her friend starting her back up on the whimpering.

"Sandra, if you want your friend to get better, you have to try and calm down. Don't look, okay?" He asked, moving himself so he blocked her vision of her friend.

"Okay..." She wiped a tear.

"Gannon?" A different voice asked.

In popped a different doctor, a girl with spiky brunette hair. She looked surprised to see Sandra and grew even more surprised at the sight of Ramona and her wound.

"Ah, Julie, I was trying to point these two in your direction," Arcade looked back to her, looking relieved, "But they just seemed to flock to me."

"You look like you could use a hand," she craned her neck to get a better look, taking a few steps in, "Here, let me take a look at her."

Arcade gave Julie her space to tend to Ramona's wounds, escorting Sandra out of the tent where she might have found it easier to calm down. She managed to pull herself together over the course of an hour, sitting idly by not too far from the tent. Arcade had moved his papers and other things to a neighboring tent, looking out the exit to keep an eye on Sandra.

Once Julie was all finished stitching and making sure her friend was bandaged good, she popped her head out. "Your friend is all done," she smiled, "You can see her if you want, she woke up while I was in the middle of bandaging her up."

Sandra hopped to her feet, heading on inside and seating herself on the edge of the bed next to Ramona. "Hey there, frowney face," she leaned down, "You took a nasty stabbing there, didn't ya?"

Ramona's eyes were lit with anger, but narrowed. "I told you not to follow him," she hissed, "But you did. You just had to go and follow them..."

"Who's a grumpy pants?" Sandra cooed over her friend, "It's all okay, you know why? 'Cause we get back home I'm gonna make you pancakes and also I think I found someone who can come along!"

"Excuse me?" Ramona arched a brow, propping herself up on her elbows to keep her somewhat elevated.

"He's with the Followers and he seems super nice. Look- He leant me his jacket!" She showed off the medical jacket with the symbol of the Followers of the Apocalypse stitched into the shoulder.

They heard a pair of footsteps approach their tent and stop outside, the two of them turning their heads to see Arcade, who smiled nervously but kept his cool, "Ah, good to see you're awake and you are not about to have a panic attack. Your friend here somehow found me back here instead of finding a doctor, but I thought I could take a small break and check on you both."

Sandra's face lit up with excitement at the sight of Arcade, leaning to the side as she whispered to Ramona, "He reminds me of David."

"Ah, I know you." Ramona smiled, extending a hand for him to shake. "Well, not really, but you get my point. I remember you two talking very vaguely. I also remember you said you do research instead of medical assistance right before I passed out. How come?"

"I'm not exactly people person, as I attempted to tell your friend," he shook his head, kindly declining her hand shake, "Besides, I have no problem with Julie sticking me back here. Out of sight, out of mind right? There are worse things one can be, though I do admit, it is just a tad bit boring. It has a noble goal, but I don't think this research will yield much fruit."

"Why don't you tag along with us?" She gestured toward Sandra and her, "We could always use a doctor on our team."

Arcade crosses his arms, "No offense intended, but why would I go anywhere with you?"

"Uh... It beats sitting around here all day, doesn't it?" Sandra suggested.

"Probably not. Unless things settle down some around here, alleviating my boredom isn't a good motive to leave. Sorry," he tried to sound as sympathetic as his nonexistent thespian talent would allow.

"Wait- What?" Sandra's face fell, hopping up from her seat.

"I'm really sorry, but the Followers aren't very familiar with you at all. I don't want to be rude, but it seems like suicide to just run off with total stranger."

"You're telling me," Ramona scoffed, shooting a glare at Sandra.

"So... If we helped out the Followers, you would join us?"

He mulled over his next few words, scrunching up his nose as he thought, "In a word, yes. I'd still take precautions to distance myself away from you but-"

She turned her head to Ramona, specifically eyeing one of her bags. "Can I see the medical bag?"

"Sure, just don't do anything crazy," she rolled her eyes, picking up the bag and handing it to her. Sandra darted off with it, prompting Ramona to sigh, "I'm probably going to regret that later."

"Don't be so hard on her," he smiled, taking a seat at his old desk, "She seems nice enough from what I have seen. She was ready to have a panic attack while hauling you around."

"Probably because she knew when I woke up I was gonna kick her ass," she snickered, "But I can't be completely mad. I'm just a little peeved because of her we're a little behind schedule is all."

"What exactly did happen?" He asked, arching a brow.

"We were passing through Freeside and then this guy wanted to show us something. Sandra wanted to humor him, where I just wanted to get out of there because the guy reeked of creep. They got us in an alley and tried to jump us," she shrugged, "And to make it up to me she said she was going to make me pancakes."

"Who, in the last two hundred years, have made pancakes?" He chuckled at this, sitting back. "At least she's attempting to make amends for her mistake."

Sandra had returned a few minutes, throwing the now much lighter bag to the ground. She had returned to her former seat, a content expression on her face. Ramona had felt her strength slowly return to her, picking up the bag and settling it on her lap. "What's got you so smiley?" She asked.

Sandra only shrugged, quickly wiping the smile off her face. She had taken off Arcade's medical coat, laying it neatly to the side. "I dunno," she simply answered, hopping to her feet, "We should really be on our way, we have important things to tend to."

Arcade seemed surprised by this new apathy towards him joining, but he was far from hurt. He turned back to his desk, giving them one last smile as his own wordless goodbye. He heard them leave, but also heard another pass by them and stop inside.

"You know," he heard the new guest, identifying it to be Julie, "If you want to leave with them, you can. They're not that bad and just donated quite a bit of supplies to us. If they really want you that bad, maybe you should take a roll with fate? They can't be that bad."

"I suppose," he sat back, fiddling with the pencil between his fingers. He sighed, leaning his head back, "But if something terrible happens to me, just know it's me who's haunting you."

"Fair enough," she laughed at this, leaving him to his thoughts.

Arcade tipped back in his chair, eyeing the two girls as they approached closer and closer to the exit. He looked back to his clipboard of notes, where instead of actual information was covered in doodles he had made to pass the time alone. He thought to himself that maybe he didn't have to be stuck in a tent where his days just dragged on. It wasn't like he was getting any younger.

"I'm insane," he whispered to himself as he picked up his coat. He darted out of the tent while the girls were still inside the Fort, calling out to them right as they reached the gate. They stopped in unison, turning their attention to him.

He awkwardly scratched the back of his head, looking to their feet, "I was thinking about your offer and I thought..." He cleared his throat, piling together what courage he had, "I think it would be best if I came along. I mean, you two practically need someone with my experience! And who better than I?"

Ramona looked in disbelief from him to Sandra, who only winked in return. "Did you have anything to do with this?" She asked her friend, though she wasn't exactly upset.

"Just a tiny bit," she admitted, tugging on Arcade's hand as they had left the Fort.

The new trio took off out of Freeside, heading southwest under Sandra's directions as she tried to prove her "legendary pioneering skills". Instead, they spent much of their day traveling the Mojave under the intense sun as they wandered.

"I feel like we're a little ways off," Ramona suggested. She could feel beads of sweat forming along her hairline which made her regret wearing such dark-colored clothing.

"Nonsense!" Sandra wagged a mighty finger in the as she studied the map on her Pip Boy.

"I can already tell you we're a ways off," Arcade pointed out, pushing his glasses upward. "Hidden Valley is to the west, which is the opposite way we're going. I'm curious, what's in there anyways?"

"What about over there?" She pointed toward a building in the distance, to which Sandra exclaimed, "Directions!"

They approached the old building, the words _HELIOS One_ were branded across the entrance. They recognized the flag of the two-headed bear that symbolized the NCR along with a few troopers that were lined up against a small, poorly constructed wall. A lieutenant had noticed them in turn, halting them as they were a matter of yards apart, "This is a restricted area. State your business."

"Well if we're all going to be honest," Sandra threw up her hands, "I'm pretty hungry and thought this would be some sort of food factory."

"She's kidding," Ramona tugged Sandra to stand down, laughing it off, "You guys look like you could use a hand."

"How do I know you're not a Legion spy trying to infiltrate our perimeter?" She scoffed, "Give me one good reason I should let you through."

"Well it looks like your solar tower isn't collecting much sunlight," Arcade had observed, arching a brow in retaliation.

"And as I said, we can help," Ramona insisted, giving them an arrogant smile.

"No need. We already have an expert hard at work on it. Then again..." The lieutenant sighed in defeat, "Our 'expert' is an idiot. Hell, he'd be better off as a saboteur. I guess you three can't do any worse. Have him fill you in on the details. He's in the back of the building, you'll ah... You'll just know when you see him."

They entered the old power plant, Ramona and Arcade were both fascinated at the idea of something Pre War still working. They toured around the building, taking the occasional set of directions a trooper offered them, which lead to the opposite part of the old structure. They found a man wearing sunglasses gawking at the different buttons that flashed with color on some systems, jumping at the sight of them, "Who the hell are you? Did they bring you in to replace me? They're replacing me, aren't they?"

Ramona leaned to the side to whisper to Arcade, "Yeah, I think we found our guy." She cleared her voice, speaking up, "Relax, we're not here to replace anyone."

"Damn right you're not!" He barked, smirking with pride, "Why would they? You can't top this guy! Just a little more time. You can't keep Fantastic down for long."

Arcade rolled his eyes, folding his arms. "Hard to believe you're worried about being replaced."

"Worried? Do I look worried to you? I've got this under control. No one else can do what I do here."

"Well, what do you do here?"

"What else? I'm in charge. The whole operation depends on me. No Fantastic, no power. Got the whole NCR suckling my teat, and it feels so good."

Sandra made a face at his choice of words, "What are you even trying to do?"

"See, we're getting power, because the guy running this place is Fantastic. But the mirrors outside aren't aimed right, so we're running at one percent efficiency. And I guess that isn't good enough for some assholes. Trouble is, most of the controls for this place aren't here- they're in the tower. And that place has some crazy Pre-War security system that the dumbshit NCR set off when they took over. Killed two guys. Now they won't go near it. They want me to make an omelet, but I can't break any of their eggs. Know what I'm saying?"

"Unfortunately," Ramona rolled her eyes, "And how would someone retarget the mirrors?"

"There's these two terminals outside. They control the mirrors. I tried fooling with them but didn't get very far. You have to get them to these to mainframes up in the tower, then do the rest from up there. I'm guessing, but it sounds good right? Hey, you're not thinking of going up there, are you?"

"Perhaps."

"Well hey, if you find yourself up at the mainframe, do yourself a favor and make sure to send the power to the right place. It needs to go to the Strip and McCarran." Fantastic tossed them a small little card with some scribbled information, revealing the password to one of the terminals.

The three silently agreed to each other that the NCR couldn't have stooped lower than this Mr. "Fantastic". They were more than happy to have ended the conversation and begin to leave, until Arcade lead the two in the following room.

"In case it's not obvious, I think you should redirect the power to Freeside and Outer Vegas," Arcade turned to the girls, folding his arms.

"I was thinking the same thing," Ramona nodded in agreement.

"Great, glad to see we're on the same page," he said with a hint of surprise in his voice, "I wasn't thinking you wanted to activate the super weapon or... Anything... Heh."

"Super weapon?" Sandra inquired, a malicious spark.

"No, no, forget I said anything," he lightly pushed them towards the door, feeling his inner voice take a physical form inside his head and seat nervously.

They divided into groups of two as they were face with the wide field of solar panels and a tall tower that stood in the center. Ramona took off alone toward the western end, while Arcade and Sandra teamed up for the eastern. It must have been the first time that day Arcade was thankful to have her around as a distraction for the NCR hounds.

She had already managed to put a couple bullets into one mutt's brain, but the two tackled and managed to overpower her with brute force. She covered one guard dog's snout and forced it close, while trying to push the other away.

"Hurry up, Arcade" She let out a loud grunt, "They want to make Sandra stew out of me."

Arcade squinted as he typed away on the computer, hitting the keys at a lightning pace. He bit his tongue, as if a slip of the finger and one wrong punch of a key would be the end of the world.

"Alright, don't rush..." He managed to reply after a moment, hitting one last button, "There we go, all set."

He kicked off the dog as she shot down one more, the one hound left limped away into one of the farther corners to lick its wounds. Arcade helped her up just as Ramona came speeding around the corner, her skin was bruised and her hair looked a mess.

"Oh God," Sandra tried her best not to scoff at the Courier, holding a hand to cover her mouth, "What happened to you?"

"There may have been a mine or two," Ramona attempted to cover up her foolishness, straightening her hair and exclaiming, "Let's just get this done!"

They headed upwards to the tall tower that rivaled even the actual building's height, but was nothing compared to the vast height of the Lucky 38. They could feel the air being as stiff and cold as when they had first stepped into that same old casino, except for the haunting feeling the floor was going to collapse on them at any second.

They finally managed to find mainframe terminal which was connected to the large data banks that stored God-knows-what. Sandra had personally volunteered herself to get the power source up and running. Ramona was personally expecting Sandra to stare blankly at the screen for a good minute before asking for help, but was surprisingly proven wrong.

She typed on the keyboard, managing to log on without a hitch. Both of her blonde friends were shocked at this, waiting for her to screw something up.

"You know where to send it to, right?" Arcade rested his hands on her shoulders for assurance as he leaned on her. He peered over her shoulder onto the screen, noticing the word ARCHIMEDES and its defense system. He immediately pushed her away from the computer, snatching her by the wrists as he screeched, "You're trying to activate _Archimedes_? What the hell is wrong with you?!" He looked to Ramona, who instinctively rushed to the computer to sign off, "Shut it off!"

Sandra struggled to break free of his grasp, knocking him on his back. "I was trying to help! You don't-"

Arcade shoved her away, collecting himself as he pushed himself onto his feet, "Maybe you should leave- Or maybe I shouldn't have bothered coming if I knew I was going to be around a sociopath like you!"

"_David, please-_" She immediately stopped herself, the room going quiet with the exception of the sound of typing coming from the mainframe terminal. Her expression fell to a more sullen one.

Arcade fell silent as well, but for a different reason. His expression turned from rage to quizzical, though evidence of anger still remained. "Who?" He asked.

Sandra opened her mouth to attempt an explanation, but instead only bits of word and speech managed to escape her lips before she closed it once more. She ran a hand through her dark brown hair, looking away from her new friend. "I'm sorry, alright?" She attempted an apology before quickly turning and leaving without another word.

Arcade took a moment to collect himself as he rarely went off on anyone in such a loud manner. He heard Ramona to make a loud cough to bring attention to herself, as she was already done sending the power to Outer Vegas.

He turned to the slightly shorter girl, raising a brow, "What?"

"Oh, nothing..." She shrugged this off with a sprinkle of sarcasm on her tongue, her eyes wandering around the room before meeting his, "You know, you should go talk to her."

"I am _not_-"

"I'm not saying you should apologize, not that. But I do think you should know that she was looking at an e-mail that was sent a long, looong time ago," she shrugged again, "Just hear her out. Trust me when I first met her I wanted to strangle her. I still do, but that's not the point. She has a weird reason for the things she does."

"You're insane," Arcade forced a monotone voice.

"I'm not hearing a no," she teased a smile, leaning against the large data banks, "But really, talk to her. If you don't like what you're hearing then you are free to leave and you have my apologies."

He let out a groan, quirking his mouth to the side. He contemplated just leaving both girls behind, to just go back to the Old Mormon Fort and forget about them completely. But something persuaded him to take Ramona's advice, something his conscience wholeheartedly agreed with.

He had been defeated, slumping his shoulders with annoyance as he complied and began to drag himself after Sandra. He was in no hurry, savoring the moment to think of what he could say to try and break the ice.

"I'll be up there in just a moment," Ramona called to him once more before he exited to the outside, "I'll give you two a few moments to kiss and make up."

Arcade rolled his eyes at this, taking a breath of fresh air as he shut the door behind him. He was almost completely certain Sandra had passed through this way, craning his neck for the tanned brunette as he followed down the winding pathway. At the base of it, he saw her leaning against the railway as she looked toward the distance.

/What's up, Buttercup,/ he thought about greeting her. It was amusing, though he was afraid of being slugged hard in the arm. Instead, he casually strolled up next to her to take in the horizon before them with a simple, "So, who's David?"

She didn't dare look his way, instead stared down to the small army of reflectors before them.

He turned his face towards her, "Father, boyfriend...?"

"Brother."

"That was my third guess," he lied. "What's up with him?"

Sandra shrugged, "He joined the Legion a little bit back and I just miss him a lot. We've never been far apart like this and I never thought it would even end up like this." She looked to Arcade, her expression slowly reforming from melancholy to something more comforting, "You remind me of him, is all. It makes me feel better and that's why I really wanted you around."

"I'm sorry to hear," he pushed his glasses further along the bridge of his nose, "Now that has been answered, would you care to explain why you were possibly going to activate Archimedes?"

"I wasn't going to activate it! I didn't even know- I thought it wouldn't be that hard, that I could do something so simple to you and everyone else just as well," her face contorted to one of anguish. "I just want to know how to read, to be like others..." She whispered.

Arcade immediately reacted by putting a comforting arm around her, rubbing and squeezing her shoulder. He wasn't sure if this was something she intended for him hear or not, but either way he was sure she was plenty embarrassed. "How about this," he looked down to her, a bright idea popping in his head, "When you're sad, you can call me David? If you want. I've got no problem with it, so it's all up to you."

"I like that," she began to grin, her eyes traveling from him to Ramona who was eyeing them intensely as she slowly and quietly came down the railway.

"What?" Ramona barked at their annoyed expressions, "I said I'd give you two a moment and I did, I'm just here to remind us why we're here."

"And what would that be?" Arcade raised an unamused brow, sliding his arm off of Sandra and following after the Courier.

Ramona went to another part of the walkway towards a control panel, pulling down the handle to it. Everything gradually became brighter and brighter until none of them could keep their eyes open, but shut tight for fear that they'd be blinded. The blinding moment didn't linger for more than a single moment, but its presence still held an impact on them.

"Arcade, I'm going to have to borrow your glasses," Ramona wobbled, rubbing her eyes as they slowly adjusted.

"Good luck," he laughed, squinting to make out his surroundings, "Two hundred years old have done no good to these old things."

"Can we get down now? These heights are starting to make me nervous..." Sandra kept a hand on Ramona's shoulder, to make sure she didn't fall over.

"Fine, but this time I'm leading," she swiped her friend off of her shoulder, muttering under her breath, "Legendary pioneering skills, my ass."


End file.
